Say it With Roses! By William Berg

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Many women and even several men know the value of sending flowers for special occasions. More than any other flower, roses are seen as the ultimate symbol of love and affection. But what many people don’t seem to know is the symbolism behind the roses themselves – they just buy what looks pretty. The colors, types, and display of roses have their own significant meanings, which should be taken into account when purchasing roses for that special someone.

If your relationship is strictly friendly, stick with pale-colored roses, as in general, they signify friendship. Pale pink and peach colors signify admiration, sweetness, and gratitude, which make these roses the perfect choices for floral gifts of friendship. Yellow roses, though a symbol of friendship, also signifies jealousy, so be careful when choosing yellow roses in a bouquet. However, to signify your happy feelings for your friend, a bouquet of red and yellow roses together is the ideal choice.

Romantic relationships in their early stages should be signified with white roses which symbolize innocent love. They say “I’m worthy of you,” and are just simply beautiful. Light and dark pink roses symbolize joy and thankfulness, and would make a beautiful way to say how happy you are to have that special someone in your life. If yours was a “love at first sight” encounter, choose lavender roses or thornless roses. Orange roses signify fascination, which also work lovely for blooming relationships, but if you’re not sure where you want the relationship to go, steer clear of putting yellow and orange roses in the same bouquet, as together, they represent passionate intentions. If you’re planning to confess your love, the fascinating moss rose symbolizes that intention.

While the rose, in and of itself, represents love, it is only the red rose that actually proclaims “I love you.” It represents true love and desire. A dozen red roses is considered to be the ultimate declaration of love. If you’re planning to propose, consider winding two red roses together, as this is a symbol of engagement. A rosebud with leaves, but no thorns (preferably in a red shade) tells your loved one that you no longer fear, you hope for things to come. If you want your engagement to be secret for a while, consider an offer of full-blooming rose over two rosebuds, which signifies secrecy. According to tradition, touching the flower to the lips implies a “yes” answer, while a “no” is given by pinching off a petal and casting it away. If your beloved is very fond of roses and wants to include them in her wedding bouquet, a bouquet of white and red roses together makes the perfect choice, as the colors, when joined, signify unity.

Just as roses symbolize a blossoming love, they can also signify the end of a relationship. As stated before, yellow roses signify jealousy, but they also symbolize a decreasing affection and even infidelity! A rosebud without thorns or leaves means “there is nothing more to hope or fear,” which in some ways can be both a blessing and a curse. A withered white rose represents despair, a withered red rose means “our love is over,” and the York and Lancaster damask rose, though quite pretty, symbolizes conflict. As one might expect, a black rose, which typically represents death, is also the ultimate symbol of “goodbye.”

Whether you believe in the traditional meaning of rose colors or not, you should always keep them in mind when giving or receiving flowers. Your special someone might believe in them strongly, or someone you know just might be trying to tell you something that they can’t quite put into words! Color talks, and you might be speaking louder than you realize!


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Read more about the meaning of roses and find out what it means if someone sends you a yellow rose