1st Anniversary Flower: Pansy

Pansy is a lovely, delicate-looking flower that has been traditionally associated with the significant 1st wedding anniversary. The ancient Celtics believed the flower had the power to heal love problems. Read all about the Pansy flower, what it looks like and its symbolism for the 1st year.

Appearance of the Pansy

Pansy is among the most alluring of all garden flowers. Its name is derived from the French word ‘pensie’, which means ‘thought’ or ‘remembrance’. The pansy is a single bloom with five petals, each of which is round in shape. Interestingly, the flower sports a ‘thinking’ look, which has also made it the symbol of ‘remembrance’.

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Pansies come in any one of three basic colour patterns. They can either be a single colour, more commonly yellow or blue; they can be a single colour but with black lines moving out from the centre to the edges; and finally, the most commonly seen variety is the bloom with a fairly dark centre – called the ‘thinking face’. Pansies also exude a lovely fragrance.

About the Pansy

Also known as ‘heartsease’, Pansy was believed to be a cure for love problems since its petals were heart-shaped. Not surprisingly, the flower was said to be one of the chief ingredients in a Celtic love potion. Pansy is also a flower that is strongly associated with Valentine’s Day and is a favourite among lovers.

The pansy was first grown in England in Iver, Buckinghamshire in the early 19th century. By the mid-19th century, the pansy had become much loved among flower lovers and its popularity had spread to Europe as well, particularly Switzerland.

Today, pansies are grown almost all over the world, with extensive cultivation in Germany, USA and Japan.

Significance and Symbolism of the Pansy flower

Symbolising ‘reminiscences’, the pansy is the ideal traditional flower for a couple’s landmark 1st wedding anniversary. The first year is a special time for any couple, a time of nostalgia and revisiting the wedding day and all its associated memories.

Even the Bard made reference to the pansy in his play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in which a love potion is made from the juice of pansy flowers.