As professional florists, we often get asked questions about whether Roses have meanings based on their colour, or is it symbolic if I give a certain number of Roses? These are the 13 most common questions we get asked about the symbolism, and meanings behind different colours of Roses.
Read on and find out more:
The Victorians using their "Language of Flowers" (Floriography), first gave in-depth romantic meanings to garden Roses, daisies, bluebells, violets and all flowers, leaves, and seed pods growing around them. These olde-worlde traditions were inspired and influenced by the era of Queen Victoria, and the fashions and style from her conservative Court from 1837-1901. These were strict times of manners, and expected moral behaviour whilst courting.
Young couples used posies of flowers, to convey secret messages of love. Beautiful Roses were always the centrepiece of these floral tussie-mussies (Posies). As we all know - Roses are of course, the symbol of love and affection. This romantic tradition has been revived, with renewed interest in the meanings behind different coloured roses.
Floriography is a really interesting subject in our floral world, and expands further on our earlier blog post The meaning of flowers. You may also enjoy to read more about symbolism of your Birth Flowers & Birthstones per month.
In truth, nowadays most people are thrilled to receive a thoughtful gift of roses in any colour, and for any occasion. However, there is a charming trend of modern couples looking more deeply at the historic rose colours and flower meanings for fun research. Whether she is searching if there is a special meaning behind the coloured roses she has just received on her birthday, or maybe he wants to check out what the meaning of her favourite coloured roses are, when planning a suprise.
Or perhaps you are looking to discover which is the perfect rose to send as a romantic gift for Valentines Day to show your true feelings. Or are you engaged and excitedly investigating the different meanings of rose colours, while planning and choosing your wedding flowers.
Yes, there is symbolism, and historic meanings behind the rose colours as you will learn, but all flowers are beautiful, and the feeling of giving and receiving flowers, far outweighs what colour they are.
I am sure it's no surprise to learn that yes, Red Roses do mean Love! The enduring meaning behind giving a bouquet of Red Roses, is a traditional gesture of love and romance, and has been this way for generations! A beautiful red rose means I Love You, I Desire You, feelings of Passion & Affection.
Red Roses are a symbolic, meaningful gift to send for a romantic anniversary, Valentine's Day, or a gift for a special day to honour your significant other. With these romantic meanings behind these beautiful flowers, it's no wonder Red Roses are the World's favourite flower to symbolise your feelings of Love!
It's Valentine's Day and I don't want to send red roses and give them the wrong meaning! What roses mean I Like You?
If you want to veer away from red roses, our florists recomend these other coloured roses as alternatives: Pink roses mean admiration, delicate peach roses mean appreciation, and you send yellow roses to your friends. We also offer a beautiful mixed colour rose bouquet, which is a perfect friendship gift. Roses are beautiful in all colours, and are still a significant gift to send to your crush, no matter what colour bloom you choose.
Soft, pale pink roses mean admiration, gentleness, joy and sweetness. There is a large colour range of pink roses in the florist shop, from feminine light pink roses such as "Sweet Avalanche", "Anamieke" or " Sweet Akito", to dark pink roses such as " Gem", "Hoodwink" or "Jacaranda". The meanings behind these darker pink roses convey appreciation and gratitude.
Pink roses are a pretty rose to send as an alternative valentines bouquet, and are a popular colour for romance bouquets, with these gracious, feminine meanings.
Pink roses are a popular choice to send your love to family members, with their sybolic meanings of admiration, gratitude and appreciation. Yellow roses convey warmth and friendship, and of course red roses mean love. When gifting roses to a family member, consider their personal tastes and colour preferences - when given with love, all roses show that you care.
At Best Blooms we always try to include Roses in our bouquets if available, so an alternative to sending only roses is to send a mixture of blooms and include roses such as our prettiest pink bouquet.
Vibrant yellow roses carry the traditional meaning of friendship and joy. A bright, sunny yellow rose is perfect to send to your friends, to celebrate their accomplishments and joyfulness on a special occasion, and evoke warm feelings of friendship.
In New Zealand the yellow roses you will find in a florist shop are usually "Sansa", "Lightening" or "Illiois" roses.
It's true to say that in Victorian times yellow roses did convey jealousy in their floral posies, filled with meanings to communicate their feelings. However in modern times, yellow roses have a joyful happy meaning, of friendship and new beginnings. You can also choose to send a bouquet such as our cheerful sunshine bouquet and include joyful yellow roses within the display.
White roses are the symbol of pure love and innocence, which is why they are the traditional flower to include in your wedding bouquets.
Popular white roses in New Zealand are "Avalanche", "Alaska" and "Akito" roses.
White roses also mean respect and revererance, and these blooms have spiritual and heavenly connotations, this makes a bouquet of white roses a thoughtful and poignant gift to send your condolences, on the loss of a loved one.
Our florists include elegant white roses in our sympathy bouquets with these symbolic meanings of love, purity and rememberance.
To send your thanks and appreciation you can't go wrong with a gift including beautiful peach roses. A peach coloured rose represents gratitude, sincerity and thankfulness. You could also show your appreciation with dark pink roses as these convey similar feelings and how much you appreciate them.
Our local rose growers provide us with "Peach Avalanche" roses, "Mylenna" and "Peach Melba" Roses in these lovely shades.
Orange roses with their rich warm colour mean enthusiasm, passion, desire and fascination. Wow! This means you could send orange roses for Valentine's Day, either mixed with red roses or even blended with hot pink roses to send a bouquet that conveys meanings of passion, appreciation, desire and lust. The orange roses you will find in store are likely to be "Milva", "Kingsday" or "Whiskey".
Best Blooms Zingy Orange Bouquet blends a mixture of seasonal flowers, and orange roses and is a popular floral gift to send.
As you can see all roses have beautiful meanings, from joy, love, appreciation, thankfulness admiration and lust. As a florist I believe that sending any colour roses means you are thinking of them, wishing them well, and it's true that both giving and receiving flowers conveys feelings of joy for you both.
In New Zealand, we are fortunate to have beautiful fresh N.Z grown roses available all year round, in a wide choice of colours. Have some fun, try sending a bouquet of roses based on the meaning of the colour roses, and see if they can guess the symbolic meaning behind your roses.
| Red Roses | Love, Passion, Affection, Desire |
|---|---|
| Single Red Rose | I Love You |
| One Dozen Red Roses | Be Mine, I Love You |
| Red & White Roses Together | Given together this signifies Unity |
| White Roses | Virtue, Pureness, Unity, New Love |
| Pale Pink Roses | Admiration, Gentleness. Message of Sympathy |
| Bright Pink Roses | Appreciation, Gratitude, Thankfulness |
| Yellow Roses | Friendship, Joy, Get Well |
| Orange Roses | Enthusiasm, Passion, Gratitude |
| Peach Roses | Modesty, Demureness, Shyness |
| Purple Roses | Enchantment, Love at First Sight |
Inspiration - Flowers that mean Love:
Author: Jo-Ann Moss - Senior Florist - Best Blooms Auckland NZ | 18 March 2025, 04:52 PM
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