Rose colors and their meanings
With Valentine’s day soon approaching I thought we could dive a little into the meanings behind rose colors and the origins of the “language of flowers”.
We all know red roses symbolize love, right? Did you know a single red rose signifies complete devotion? Orange roses mean enthusiasm and desire, and lavender means love at first sight? Dramatic flowers, huh? Well who exactly decided what these rose colors are supposed to mean anyway?
The “language of flowers” or floriography if you’re feeling fancy has it’s roots in Constantinople, which is now known as Istanbul, Turkey. It was subsequently introduced to Europe where it really took off in the Victorian Era. Most flower meanings come from the description of the flowers themselves and each, like the colors associated with them have varied meanings.
Botany was becoming a huge craze, and with it many books and dictionaries were written including Dictionnaire du language des fleurs written in 1809 by Joseph Hammer-Purgstall and Le langage des Fleurs in 1819 by Madame Charlotte de la Tour. In these books, among others is where the classic meanings we know today began.
Red of course symbolizing love and passion, but also courage and respect. White is for innocence but also secrecy. Paired together these colors represent unity.
Celebrating Gal-entine’s Day? Yes it’s a real thing, but do we really need an excuse to give our bestie a gift? You might just want to get them some yellow roses to symbolize the friendship. Or, if it’s a first date wow them with this little fact, yellow roses for new beginnings.
Honoring someone? Well a bouquet of light and dark pink roses would signify the admiration and gratitude associated with that person’s deeds.
So why exactly are roses so popular on Valentine’s Day? Roses have long been associated with goddesses across many cultures and particularly the Greek Aphrodite and Venus, and we know their deal. It’s easy to see how it began. Although you could argue that like some of our celebrities, they are famous for being famous. Simply put, people know roses, and they know red roses!
So this is where I step in and say … if yellow is their favorite color don’t be afraid of scooping up that bright, gorgeous dozen on V-Day! I personally love orange roses, and would be enthusiastic about receiving them! See what I did there? It’s all about the person you are gifting the flowers to, but most importantly, don’t forget the candy …
Carnations … tacky or retro?
Any fan of Gilmore Girls may remember Lorelai asking, “I can never decide. Carnations … tacky or retro?” This is a question many people may wrestle with in their minds. I am here to give a little carnation knowledge and encourage you to give these cost effective beauties a spot at your next event.
You might only associate these flowers with a green so bright and unnatural not even a magical cereal mascot would sport it on their lapel. Perhaps half dehydrated and handed out on Valentine’s Day at your middle school? Cheap ex-boyfriend? I could go on … Well let’s learn a little bit about these divisive blooms before we continue to judge them.
Carnations are a species of dianthus and their origins are most likely from the Mediterranean region, and have been cultivated for the past 2,000 years! (That’s one point for retro!) In fact there are numerous references in Greek literature to the bloom and the name is derived from the ancient Greek words for divine "dios" and flower "anthos" and was used in Greek and Roman ceremonial crowns. (That’s two points.) The use of carnations may vary, from being the official flower of Mother’s Day, a white or red carnation represents the purity of a mother’s love. Or on Parent’s Day in Korea, red and pink carnations are proudly worn on the left side of the chest by parents. The flower is even given to teachers on Teacher’s Day. Whatever the reason they are given, carnations always mean to represent love, fascination and distinction. Carnations are even the most popular wedding flower in China, and we can see why!
During the Victorian era a carnation’s color could even represent a secret message! A potential suitor would be given a solid color to respond “yes!” a striped carnation meant “I’m sorry, but I can’t be with you” and a yellow carnation was an unfortunate “No.”
Nowadays we know that although colors can represent a certain message, the more important one is giving your loved one a bloom in their favorite color. In this way the only “no” associated with a beautiful bouquet of yellow carnations would be, “No way! I can’t believe you looked past antiquated color charts and false flower shaming to gift me this bouquet!”
Available in a wide variety of colors thanks to genetic engineering and selective plant breeding, carnations are a great option to turn to if you’re looking for a very specific shade. An honest to goodness burgundy? Check. The perfect shade of neutral beige? Check. An undisputable lavender? The carnation says, “I got you girl.” The carnation also looks great when dyed! So if you absolutely need a true blue, look no further.
Starting to come around? Check out some of these beautiful bouquets below and consider making room for the carnation on your guest list!
