The Secret Meaning Of Flowers

Australian Flora Botanical Reference Eco-Spirituality New Age Mysticism Victorian Floriography Mindfulness & Self-Help Nature-Based Ritual

First-edition hardcover of Jennifer Isaacs’ 1993 Australian classic, The Secret Meaning Of Flowers, is the reference every flower-lover hopes to stumble upon in the second-hand market. Wrapped in its original dust jacket, this copy is clean, tight, and unmarked—no inscriptions, no dog-eared corners—so it presents exactly as a 30-year-old gift book should. Light shelf scuffing on the jacket is the only reminder of age; inside, the colour plates remain vivid and the binding square, making it shelf-ready for collectors, florists, and wild-flower wanderers alike.

Inside, Isaacs decodes the “language” that once let Victorian bouquets speak where words could not. Each entry pairs botanical notes with the symbolic meaning of the bloom—rose for passion, yarrow for healing, flannel flower for trust—so modern readers can weave intention into wedding posies, apology bouquets, or home-grown cutting gardens. The book’s Antipodean lens is a bonus: many meanings draw on Australian native flora (waratah, boronia, kangaroo paw) that rarely appear in Northern Hemisphere flower dictionaries, giving this title global appeal for designers who want something fresh.

Beyond floristry, the title is a doorway into eco-mysticism and personal development. Isaacs frames flower lore as a daily mindfulness practice: choose a bloom whose message mirrors the quality you want to cultivate, sketch it, press it, journal with it. The result is a practical yet soulful hybrid of botany, self-help, and new-age ritual that feels surprisingly contemporary. Young adults rediscovering slow-living, eco-witches building altar work, and professionals designing experiential events all mine this book for ethical, nature-based inspiration.

For gift-givers, the vintage 1993 first edition carries nostalgic weight—many buyers remember it on their mothers’ shelves and now want their own copy to pass down. Its hardcover format and intact jacket photograph beautifully on Instagram or a coffee table, while the compact A5 size tucks into a tote for field hikes. With keywords like “Australian flower dictionary,” “Victorian floriography,” and “Jennifer Isaacs first edition,” this listing surfaces for every search from “wildflower wedding ideas” to “eco-spiritual gifts,” ensuring it finds the reader who will cherish it next.

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