A versatile flower, and arguably the most iconic flower in the world. Understanding the meaning behind rose colour meanings is an essential step in expressing your feelings to another. From the romantic love imbued in red roses to the platonic adoration of yellow. Alongside the purity and reverence of white roses. Keep reading to discover the importance of rose colour meanings.
The Rosa genus offers the world over 300 species of roses. With thousands of varieties bred over centuries and a myriad of different cultural meanings. Split between Garden Roses, Wild Roses and Modern Roses. These three main rose categories give birth to the colours and variations we have come to love and adore.
Rose Colour Meanings
Roses have lots of colours and they mean a lot. That’s why they are being treated as the June birth flower. Let’s dig deeper to see what different colours of roses mean.
White rose
Purity, Innocence, Respect, Remembrance, Sincerity, Reverence
While red roses are certainly the most iconic of the bunch. White roses have always held a culturally special meaning worldwide. White roses are versatile flowers, often appearing at ceremonial occasions, symbolising purity, innocence, respect, and remembrance.
A white rose is given to celebrate new beginnings from celebrations, weddings, graduation ceremonies, and christenings. However, with these rose colour meanings comes a significant level of respect. White roses are often presented to those in mourning following the death of a loved one.
Red rose
Love, Passion, Adoration, Dedication, Desire, Beauty, Courage
As we said, red roses are clearly the most popular in the rainbow of rose colours, especially come Valentine’s Day. Depicted as a universal symbol of love, we give red roses to demonstrate our passion, adoration and dedication for that special someone in your life. Whether there’s a dozen red roses, or just one, a red rose says “I love you” like no other flower can. Compared to white roses, the meaning of a red rose is of desire and longing for the one you love.
However, how much you love them is determined by the shade of red you choose. Your traditional red rose, with an intoxicatingly bright red hue, is for those you are truly, madly, deeply. Roses on the burgundy end of the colour spectrum are burgeoning feelings of love, your desire for another.
Pink rose
Appreciation, Gratitude, Affection, Admiration, Delight, Grace, Gentleness
Pink rose colour meanings symbolise the flower of appreciation and gratitude, your acknowledgement of another. While red roses are more direct with their intentions of passion and adoration, pink roses are gentle, conveying admiration and affection without overwhelming the recipient.
Just like red roses, shades and hues are inextricably linked to their true meaning. The darker the pink, the greater the level of appreciation, whereas pale pink roses express sympathy and grace. Between these two shades is the jack-of-all-trade pink rose. Offer them to someone in mourning or for a simple thank you.
Orange roses
Enthusiasm, Pride, Fascination, Curiosity
If you’re not ready to express your deepest feelings of romantic love for your crush, then orange roses are your next best thing. Orange roses are all about one’s curiosity for another, expressing enthusiasm, passion and fascination. And while they certainly have a romantic aura to them, they’re not nearly as intense as their red rose counterparts.
Its blend of red and yellow symbolises blossoming romance, a budding passion for someone special in your life, or even a friend. While many see flowers as an expression of romantic love, orange roses are a textbook expression of platonic love.
Yellow roses
Joy, Friendship, Fellowship, Fraternity, Congratulations, Fortune, Luck, Goodwill
The brightest colour in the world of roses, these stunning flowers are ideal for cheering up family members or celebrating friendships (pair them with orange roses for an epic BFF bouquet!). A flower for fellowship and fraternity, yellow roses symbolise fortune and goodwill, making them the perfect substitute for saying, “good luck”.
Now, we don’t enjoy saying the word never. However, unless your special someone is a massive fan of yellow flowers, you might want to avoid yellow flowers for your next romantic celebration. Otherwise, you may be relegated to the dreaded “friend-zone”.
Purple roses
Royalty, Wonderment, Enchantment, Awe
Often a rare sight, purple roses express wonderment and awe, a fascination with enchantment, and an association with royalty. If you want to make some feel super special, a deep purple rose is your best bet, whereas those on the lavender end of the colour spectrum are reserved for feelings of enchantment. With a bunch of mauve roses in your hand, think “love at first sight”.
At the end of the day, the meaning of rose colours is entirely subjective. If your special someone thinks lavender roses are the most romantic gift possible, who are we to say otherwise. With so many beautiful flower arrangements available to order from just $25, you can have roses delivered to their door in a heartbeat.
Black roses
Horror, Elusiveness, Death
Outside of a fantasy world, you’re never going to find an all-black rose in the wild. Many of the black roses on sale are actually dark shades of red, purple or maroon. These dark roses are placed in water mixed with black ink to further darken their colour. Although they’re certainly not to everyone’s taste, for fans of the macabre, our dramatic Rose Noir is a true statement from the heart. A single, alluring black rose arrives in a boxed presentation with accents of emu grass to enchant and captivate your special recipient.
Blue roses
Mystery, Impossibility, Fantasy
Like black roses, blue roses do not grow naturally, as roses lack the gene or pigmentation to produce blue. Even science hasn’t made a truly blue rose, with collaborative research by an Australian company, Florigene, and a Japanese company, Suntory, falling short of their genetic engineering goal. While the genetically modified rose was sold and described as blue, they were closer to lavender or mauve.
To avoid the price tag of investing in genetically modified flowers, many florists dye their flowers to achieve the same effect. Expressing mystery, impossibility and fantasy, in Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, a story is told of a blue rose atop a mountain surrounded by poisonous thorns that promised eternal life to anyone who could reach it.
As no one dared to traverse the thorns, “the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone… forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time.”
Mixed rose meaning
A myriad of emotions and meanings
With so many colours to choose from, why stick with just one rose colour? Mixing different colours of roses together in one massive bouquet is a fabulous way to personalise your message into a single flower arrangement. Mixed roses can symbolise so many more emotions than just one colour on their own. Get mixing and matching to find the perfect combination from the myriad of emotions and meanings that roses represent.
Send a message today with any number of roses of all different colours. Grab a single elegant rose for the one you love, or go all out with a 12 rose bouquet. Whatever you decide, Flowers Across Melbourne is ready to deliver you beautiful, quality roses without the painful price tag. Our flowers are hand made to order by our own expert florists, with market-fresh flowers sourced daily. Receive same-day rose shipping to most Melbourne suburbs when you place your online rose order before 2 pm.
No Comments