Meaning of Rose Colors

Roses have a long and colorful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. The rose is, according to fossil evidence, 35 million years old.
During the Roman period, roses were grown extensively in the Middle East. They were used as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes, and as a source of perfume. Roman nobility established large public rose gardens in the south of Rome.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the popularity of roses seemed to rise and fall depending on gardening trends of the time. During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white rose symbolized York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the "War of the Roses." Roses were in such high demand during the seventeenth century that royalty considered roses or rose water as legal tender, and they were often used as barter and for payments. Napoleon's wife Josephine established an extensive collection of roses at Chateau de Malmaison. It wasn't until the late eighteenth century that cultivated roses were introduced into Europe from China. The rose is an extraordinary flower in that it has so many shades, some natural, and some man made. But each shade has a meaning of its own. When you send flowers you send more than beautiful blossoms. You send a message from your heart and the rose is a perfect choice for expressing your deepest feelings. The language of color has a long history of tradition. Today color meaning interpretations are multi-faceted. Here are the most widely recognized meanings associated with rose color. When you choose a color, variety or number of roses for someone, you are personalizing your gift with deeper sentiment. Rose colors may have very a different meaning from what you intend.

Red Roses are classic and a popular choice since their message is an unmistakable expression of love.

Pink Roses are used to convey gentle emotions such as admiration, joy and gratitude. Begining of a new love, sweet love.

Yellow Roses evoke sunny feelings of joy, warmth and welcome. They are symbols of friendship and caring.

White Roses (“clear ” for crystal) are generally associated with pure love, sympathy and make an ideal accompaniment to a first-time bride walking down the isle.

Blue Roses cannot be achieved naturally so they represent the unattainable or the mysterious.

Lilac Roses - Enchanment, Love at first sight! (also for purple and lavender roses)

Green Roses represent fertility, wealth, abundance and bounty.

While a yellow rose reminds us of the sun, an orange rose reminds us of a fiery blaze. These fiery blooms signify passion and energy.

The symbolism of rose colors is steeped in tradition. Roses inspired people over thousands of years to develop a language of color.