Red for obsession, yellow for adultery: What flower hues mean around the world

Yellow roses in Germany can hint at adultery. In the US, they simply mean ‘I miss you’. Adam Jacot de Boinod has a lot more. In this week’s Capital Letters.

Flowers can be used to express a range of emotions: love, obsession, anger, even hatred and ill will.

It usually boils down to the colour of the blooms. Amid Diwali celebrations, with garlands of marigolds covering portals across India, let’s look at the shades one by one.

White is almost universally not a good idea, unless one is actually going to a funeral.

Red roses should be avoided too, unless one is aiming to silently profess deep love. Particularly in