Flowers have had a special relationship with writers for years. They’re fragile things, and have an ephemeral beauty that’s hard to describe. Not only that, but they also carry meanings that we can easily understand. For example, spider lilies mean loss of innocence. A black rose generally represents mystery, danger, and death. And even the meanings are constantly changing, depending on the context in which the flower was found.

While it’s generally accepted that flowers can convey a language that words often fail to describe, what does this mean for writers? Why should they incorporate flowers into their writing, especially if it’s in a genre like horror or crime? After all, aren’t they girly, frilly things?

To foreshadow - In the paranormal romance genre, whenever a black rose is shown, it means that a potential love interest is dangerous. Whenever a childhood friend gives his crush a deep red rose, it means he’s in love with them, and hopes to make a move. When a daisy is dying inside a dilapidated house, it means something is going to happen, something that would destroy what little innocence is left in the residents of the house. Because the world has associated flowers with various meanings, they can quite often be used to give readers a hint of what’s to come.

To end the story - I often use flowers to end my stories symbolically, whether that be a dying lily in a vase of clear water, or a small tulip wafting within a spring breeze. Other people have used this as well; in one particularly famous show, Tokyo Ghoul, spider lilies were used to represent the protagonist’s fall from humanity. It gives a sense of finality in the story, all the while wrapping everything up in a nice bow. For example, in the movie The Babadook, the main protagonist is sitting next to a black rose in a sea of normal colored roses. While it does seem strange at first, that very rose represents her grief, and the lesson is that she has to come to terms with the grief in order to move on with her life and take care of her family.

To characterize - In the Harry Potter series, many characters have flower names, most of which revolve around their personalities. Lily Evans, the mother of the titular hero, is named after the lily, a flower of beauty, elegance, and mourning. His abusive aunt, Petunia, is a popular flower that comes from the same family as the deadly nightshade. In Beauty and the Beast, roses are often used to represent Belle’s beauty, as well as represent both her and the Beast’s love. Flowers have allowed writers to lay the basic foundation of our characters' personalities. They’ve given writers a sort of complex outline, many of which have also helped shape plots, conflicts, and even the characters’ interactions with one another.

Flowers have a variety of purposes, whether it be in art, media, or literature. They convey ideas that we often fail to describe with words, and can seemingly understand emotion better than even humans can. It’s something that we, as writers, have fallen in love with, and will continue do so for centuries to come.