Roses - What do the Colors Mean?

Being that Valentine's Day was just last week I found myself if a discussion about the meaning of the colors of the roses.  I had to do some research and thought I would share it with you here.  Interesting some of the facts I found and who knew, you could have been communicating more than you thought!

Red

Red is the most popular rose color and is symbolic of everlasting or enduring love, romance, passion, affection, courage, respect, congratulations, "I love you" and a "job well done". It doesn't just symbolize love, but also denotes beauty, courage and even respect.  As you might know, red roses are widely used when proposing marriage and to reaffirm one's love in a very profound way.  

The color red itself is often associated with the Greek and Roman goddess of love. Weather sending a single red rose to say "I love you" or sending a bouquet including a dozen or more (which is considered the ultimate way to say "I love you") it makes for a wonderful gift for any romantic occasion.  You may not of known that a Red Rosebud is a symbol of purity and loveliness, as well?

White

In general, white signifies purity, innocence, honor, silence, secrecy, reverence, humility, youthfulness, sympathy, serenity,  divinity (heavenly), "I am worthy of you" and happy love.  Originally, white roses were the symbol of true love that is now conveyed through red roses. White roses are often seen at weddings so they have also become associated with unity and virtue. Because of their association with reverence and honor, white roses are often sent to a funeral as an expression of sympathy.

White roses are perfect for events where youth or innocence are celebrated, proms and even weddings. In a bridal context white roses (and especially white rosebuds) signify innocence and girlhood. A white rose is the ideal rose for young love. A white rose can play a role in commencing a relationship, indicating a man's special feelings for a woman, proposing marriage, or a husband expressing his love toward his beloved. When giving a white rose to a bride you wish her joyful and impeccable love. Lastly, coming back to the historical meaning of the color white, roses of this color can be used to show feelings like ' I am worthy of you,' or 'you are heavenly'.

Cream

Not to be confused with the white rose, cream roses indicate charm, thoughtfulness, grace, gentility, joy and gratitude.  They are used to express appreciation towards loved ones for loving you and when given in combination with pink rose they express "thanks".

Pink

LIGHT or PALE PINK:

Pale pink roses represent grace, gentleness, admiration, joy, gladness, perfect happiness, sympathy, sweetness, "thank you and "I am worthy of you". Light pink roses denote liveliness and fun. Light pink s a great color of rose to give to a good friend (use them to express feelings strictly confining to friendship.)  It's a great idea to bring pink roses for the hostess of a party or dinner since it also conveys sweetness and gratitude. They also can be used for your dinner table as a bouquet of fresh pale pink roses. They are among the most common roses growing in the wild.

DARK PINK:

Dark pink rose expresses gratitude, appreciation, praise, admiration and are often sent as a "thank you" and can be used to imply sympathy or empathy. They can also be given to a sick person to say: 'Get well'.

Peach

Similar to pink roses, the peach colored rose expresses gratefulness, humility and modesty.  It also can be used for appreciation, in "closing the deal" or "let's get together", sincerity, or gratitude.  (Peach roses are considered a shade of orange.)

Yellow

Yellow roses express friendship (platonic), joy, gladness, delight, promise (reassurance) of new beginning, given to congratulate life events, such as a birth, a wedding, a graduation, a promotion, to show affection, "welcome back" remember me, jealosy and caring.  Yellow roses have a platonic connotation that pink and red roses do not convey.    

If you present someone with a yellow rose with red tip you offer friendship or possibly send a message that one is ready to be free or to express the feeling of new love. For couples, however, the yellow rose can signify the idea of friendship and freedom within a romantic relationship. With other words you can show your significant other, that you feel free around him or her, and that you value their friendship within a serious relationship or marriage.


In Victorian times (the 18th Century), yellow roses were used to represent jealousy.  It would take time before yellow roses became associated with more positive emotions.

Orange

An orange rose means desire, passion or passionate, warmth, sweetness, fascination, enthusiasm and exuberance.  (Peach roses are considered a shade of orange.) These intensely colored roses remind us of flames and fire and fascinate us just the same yet they can be seen as soothing as well.  They are great roses to give when expressing interest in going ahead with a new romantic relationship. The first orange roses were developed by horticulturalists in the late 19th century. Since orange is made from mixing red and yellow, the orange rose is sometimes seen as a cross between romantic love and friendship.   Coral Roses are like orange roses, they are perfect for more passionate purposes as they reveal desire and passion.

Lavender

Lavender roses have traditionally been used to convey love at first sight, enchantment, romance, sincere love and appreciate.  They are a spontaneous choice to express the fact that you've had butterflies in your tummy from the first moment you met your love. They may also symbolize enchantment and romance. For centuries, purple has been the color of royalty, so lavender roses have a certain air of majesty. Lavender can also signify sincere love & appreciation.       

Black

They represent death, end of a relationship, end of life,  are used at burials as they signify death and bidding "adieu" or farewell.  In case you don't know, in truth there are no black roses. Florists actually dry roses and dye them black. Dead roses represent the culmination of a relationship or the end of life.  In Gothic culture black roses symbolize tragic romance.

Blue

The blue rose is symbolic of the impossible, they stand for love beyond reach, mystery or things that are unattainable. Blue roses do not occur naturally but researches have finally succeeded in engineering a blue rose which was previously missing from the genetic colors. Sometimes lavender and purple roses share these sentiments, because they are part of the blue color 

* ROSE COLOR COMBINATIONS *
Roses of different colors are often used together to enhance their original, single-color, meaning. The number of roses given can add additional significance to the meaning of the color and color combinations. Below is more information that I have found out about roses:

• Red Rosebud:  Symbolic of purity and loveliness
• White Rosebud:  Symbolic of girlhood.
• Thorn-less Rose:  Love at first sight.

• Single Red Rose: I love you
• Single Rose ANY color:  suggests youth, beauty, delight, simplicity, gratitude,  utmost devotion.
• Two Roses Entwined Together: says "marry me", signifies being engaged and heralding marriage. 
• Two Roses (different color combinations):  emphasize best wishes for the happy couple.
• Six Roses: a need to be loved or cherished.
• Eleven Roses: assure the recipient they are truly and deeply loved.
• Thirteen Roses: indicate a secret admirer.

RED & YELLOW:   a symbol for joy, celebration, delight, happiness, happy feelings and jovial.

WHITE & YELLOW:  communicate harmony,

PINK & YELLOW:  communicates friendship.

RED & WHITE:  signifies unity or an engagement.

RED & PINK:  reveal an even deeper meaning to a romantic relationship.