Flower colour meanings
Red flowers mean love, white means purity or apology, pink means thanks and tenderness, yellow means friendship and joy, and mauve means admiration, so a bouquet or vase in the right colour speaks before the card does. No idea which colour they like? On Haddiyah you mix colours across 2 to 8 flower bouquets, and the recipient keeps the one they love, delivered in Riyadh and Jeddah. There is no wrong colour, only one that fits the occasion and the person better, and this guide orders the colours by what you want to say.
Red: love
Red roses are the flowers of love without rival: for a wife on an anniversary or a birthday, for a fiancée, and for the big apology. A hand bouquet if you are going out, a vase if you are celebrating at home. See love flowers and anniversary flowers.
White: purity and a new beginning
White is the colour of weddings, engagements and new babies, and of the sincere apology that says 'let us start again'. Alstroemeria, white roses and white baby roses all suit. See wedding flowers and apology flowers.
Pink: tenderness and thanks
Pink is the colour given most between women: for a mother on her day, a sister, a friend, and a teacher as thanks. Soft, and right for any age. See thank-you flowers and new-baby flowers when the baby is a girl.
Yellow and orange: friendship and joy
Yellow is the colour for a friend, a recovery and congratulations: it brightens the room and says 'we are waiting for you'. Orange is enthusiasm, for a success or a new job. Neither is given to a wife or a fiancée. See get-well flowers and congratulations flowers.
Mauve and purple: admiration and elegance
Mauve is the colour of admiration and elegance, right for a birthday, a graduation, and the person whose taste is different. Mauve tulips, hydrangeas and chrysanthemums are the best-known choices. See birthday flowers and graduation flowers.
Mixed: for every occasion
A mixed bouquet carries more than one colour and meaning, which is why it is the choice when you are unsure or when the occasion is a general joy: congratulations, a graduation, a new baby, a return from travel. See congratulations flowers and baskets and boxes.
Before you send
- Torn between two colours? Choose a mixed bouquet: it carries more than one meaning and suits most occasions.
- Red is for a wife or a fiancée only. For anyone else, pink, white or mixed.
- A colour reads differently by flower: tulips, roses and baby roses in the same colour have different characters, and the photo on each bouquet's page decides.
- Write on the card why you chose this colour. One line turns a bouquet into a message.
Frequently asked questions
What do red flowers mean?
Love and passion. They are the flowers for a wife or a fiancée on an anniversary, a birthday or a big apology, and not for a colleague or a friend.
What do white flowers mean?
Purity, a new beginning and a sincere apology. They suit a wedding, an engagement and a new baby, and an apology that says 'let us start again'.
What do pink flowers mean?
Tenderness, thanks and appreciation. The flowers for a mother, a sister, a friend or a teacher, and the colour most often given between women.
What do yellow flowers mean?
Friendship, joy and optimism. They suit a recovery after illness, congratulations and a friend. They are not given to a wife, since for some they mean parting.
What do purple flowers mean?
Purple and mauve mean admiration, esteem and elegance. They suit someone you want to tell "your taste is special": a manager, a friend, or a wife who likes unusual colours, and they pair well with white in one bouquet.
What do red and white flowers mean together?
They read as one message: red for love and white for purity and loyalty, so together they mean love that is true and lasting. They suit an anniversary, a milka or a wedding.
See also how to keep fresh flowers alive longer.
Ready to gift?
Ordering takes two minutes, and the recipient sets the place and the delivery time.
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