Meanings and messages have been assigned to flowers for centuries in various cultures, although the messages most are familiar with belong to the Victorian flower language. Floriography, the language of the flowers, was a commonplace method of subtle communication during the Victorian Era, with many households owning books and dictionaries on the subject.
In these modern times, unfortunately, floriography has fallen out of its prime, although it’s still a wonderful way to send hidden messages! The most widely known flowers project rather positive meanings, like red roses representing romantic love and lilies meaning purity. But, you’re mistaken if you think that’s all flowers are good for! There are dozens of blooms with numerous meanings that convey various sentiments, which is only further complicated when you factor in things like flower combinations and the manner of presentation.
Luckily for us, we’re only focusing on negative messages! Contrary to popular belief, some flowers are actually used to express rather negative emotions, from anything like simply “no” to things like “you’ve disappointed me”. Here’s how to send hate-filled messages in flower!
The first thing on the list is flowers of rejection. A simple, concise “no” can be represented by a striped carnation. Just take care that it’s a striped carnation, as different colors of carnations stand for different things, and a solid carnation stands for the very opposite of a striped one. It’s more specifically used to reject a romantic relationship, but you can probably use it as a form of rejection in other situations. The flower can also express sadness at the inability to be in a relationship, so you may want to combine it with other “rejection” flowers in a bouquet. Yellow carnations are much harsher in their refusal, also carrying the message of disappointment and sometimes even disdain within their yellow petals. If you particularly detest the person who’s professed to you, you could go down this route, but perhaps it’s best to save this flower for someone who has failed you, like the group members that never did their work. Some sources state that gifting someone a bouquet of dead, withering flowers is also a way to convey rejection.
Maybe you just want to say “I hate you” with no message of refusal attached. Orange lilies and the common basil carry exactly that meaning! The Greeks and Romans thought basil could only be planted whilst swearing and ranting, and the earliest records of the plant accused it of existing just to drive people mad. What a wonderful reputation a simple herb holds! Petunias, as in Harry Potter’s Aunt Petunia, mean “resentment”, which is a slight bit different from pure hatred but should serve your needs.
In the event that you wish to instill a sense of foreboding in the recipient, monkshood, also known as aconite and wolf’s bane, is your way to go! The purple blooms first and foremost mean “beware”, but also carry the message that “a deadly foe is near”. Rhododendron flowers carry similar sentiments, although some sources say that it also indicates that you are the one to be wary of. Maybe you’re the deadly foe. Murder isn’t the answer, kids! On a slightly less homicidal note, begonias and oleanders can also be sent to tell the receiver to be cautious (of things that aren’t the sender).
These aren’t all the flowers out there that fulfill your negative-message-sending needs. There are lots more, with delightful meanings like “resignation” (cyclamen) and “forsaken” (anemone), but, alas, it would make this article much too long to include all of them! As mentioned before, other flowers and the manner of their presentation do have an effect on the meaning of the entire bouquet, so if you’re actually thinking of purchasing flowers to convey your delightfully rage-filled feelings, be sure to consult the florist when selecting your blooms. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s page on flower meanings, if you hand someone a bouquet upside down, it’ll mean the very opposite of what the flowers originally meant! Your flower options just got a whole lot more varied!
If you think this is too subtle of a language, what are you even doing here? Go out and actually profess your never-ending disdain!

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