Daisy

Floral Message

Generally speaking, daisies indicate innocence, purity, and gentleness on behalf of both the giver and the receiver. Daisies say, "You have as many virtues as this plant has petals," or, "I will consider your request." A white daisy represents shared feelings of affection, while a red daisy tells of beauty unknown to the possessor.

History and Lore about the Daisy

The daisy derived its English name from the Anglo-Saxon term daes eage, or day's eye, referring to the way this flower opens and closes with the sun.

Interesting Facts about the Daisy

Similar in appearance to some chysanthemums, daisies continue to be associated with simplicity and modesty two characteristics carried over from Victorian times. A well-known practice originated with heartbroken Victorian maids who wished to be loved once again by their suitors. A maid would pluck a daisy's petals one by one, chanting, He loves me, he loves me not, for each petal pulled. Of course, it was the last petal that predicted the situation's outcome.

A young maiden would also pick a handful of daisies with her eyes closed. The number of blossoms she held in her hand told of the number of years that remained until she married.

While its modest simplicity made the daisy a favorite flower of many poets, its healing and predictive powers made it popular not only with farmers, but also with an infamous English king. Spring, medieval farmers would say, would not arrive until one could set a foot on twelve daisies; to dream of daisies in springtime or summer was a lucky omen, but dreams of them in fall or winter meant certain doom. Transplanting wild daisies to a cultivated garden was considered to be very unlucky. King Henry VIII ate dishes of daisies to relieve himself from his stomach-ulcer pain; during this time it was also believed that drinking crushed daisies steeped in wine, in small dosesover 15 days, would cure insanity.