Tussie Mussie

A wonderful Victorian tradition that is full of the lore of herbs and the beautiful language of Flowers.

These were known as talking bouquets, or Tussie Mussie , and lovers exchanged these nosegays of herbs and flowers to express their feelings to each other.


Several dictionaries were published to help decipher the coded messages which were often very complex.

When individual plants were held together in one nosegay, all the meanings came together to form one complex thought. They became the messengers for discreet and sometimes quite daring but proper suitor, the inarticulate but sympathetic friend, or for the polite guest. How clever …and very romantic those Victorians were!

There are lovely holders made of heavy white paper that look like cones with the tapered end cut off, and that are edged with inches of doily-like lace you can use to put them together.

I have seen antique sterling silver cones as well as reproduction silver cones and they are adorable. If you have the inclination, you, too, can put one together whenever there is an event happening for that someone special. Make sure to include a note about what the plants mean in your gift, as this is a lost art.

The three examples shown here  were found on Etsy and were made by ladonacarmen, emilywootton and FrenchFolly all very beautiful and each one different.

 Glossary of Definitions

mint = warmth, sweet marjoram = joy & happiness, garden sage = domestic virtue, St. John’s wort = protection, lavender = devotion, purple sage = gratitude, parsley = festivity, thyme = courage, strawberry = goodness, lemon balm = sympathy & understanding, basil = best wishes, dill = irresistibility, lemon verbena = responsibility, rosemary = remembrance, pineapple sage = hospitality, scented geraniums = comfort,