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 …