When our Victorian ancestors wanted to say it with flowers, they did it very deliberately. In those days certain blooms were sent not only for their beauty but because they were associated with specific meanings.

If a young maid unfairly suspected her beloved of having affections for another, for example, he might send her a bouquet of daises and chrysanthemums to say, "I am innocent and telling the truth." If she did not believe him, she might in turn send a striped carnation to imply refusal of his message; or, if she were really angry, a yellow carnation to convey her disdain.However, if a Victorian gentleman were impressed with the purity and loveliness of his beloved, he might convey the message with a red rose bud. And someone interested in marriage would be certain to include ivy in the bouquet.

But nowadays we let our flowers do the talking in less complicated ways. Instead of worrying too much about secret messages, we let flowers simply say "thinking of you" or "have a nice day."

But whatever the language of flowers, it seems, they are doing their talking more often these days. According to a recent survey of florists commissioned by the American Floral Marketing Council, the industry has seen a 30 percent increase in business in the last few years.

Flowers are an $8 billion industry in this country. In recent years there have been changes not only in volume but in flower-giving occasions.

"In the past, holidays, birthdays and anniversaries have been the times when most people have purchased flowers," says Joan Watson, chairman of the AFMC, who was in Salt Lake recently to talk about today's flower power.

These occasions are still important, she says. "But our surveys show that 72 percent of the florists across the country are reporting an increase in the purchase of flowers for non-holiday reasons. It it evident that, increasingly, more and more people believe that anytime is the right time to give flowers."

Another significant trend, she says, is that more women are buying flowers for men. "And we find that men enjoy receiving flowers just as much as women do."

Flowers are an appropriate gift for any occasion, she says. They can have business overtones, friendship overtones or something more romantic.

Seven out of 10 of the florists surveyed said that compared to a few years ago, more women are buying flowers for men. More than half - 56 percent - also say that men are buying more flowers as well.

Among other trends:

- Customers are buying more exotic flowers (noted by 57 percent of the florists surveyed).

- Customers are buying more arrangements and fewer bunches (45 percent).