Meaning Of Rose Colors

The Red Rose whispers of passion
The White Rose breathes of love;
Oh, the Red Rose is a falcon
And the White Rose is a dove.
........Edmund Boyle O'Reilly

The color of the rose you choose to send portrays a certain meaning but so does the number of roses sent and the combinations of roses.(and/or rose buds!) Rose leaves for example are a symbol of hope, and a bouquet signifies gratitude but let's deal with the basic colors first. (I have left out black and blue as these, at present, remain artificial.)

Rose colors have both strong symbolic connotations and historical connections. They need an historical context to fully understand the meaning, which seems to vary, even today. The meaning of rose colors is a little complex and confusing.

Purple for example has always been the color of royalty and so a purple rose would represent a certain regal elegance. Lavender on the other hand seems to have no particular reason for meaning 'love at first sight' to the Victorians. So with this in mind, here are some of the basic colors.

Red Roses
Chosen by both Greeks and Romans as a symbol for love. Introduced into Europe in the 1800's when it became a strong symbol of love, passion and respect.

Pink Roses
Pink was the color of the earliest form of the wild rose, which today has a wide range of 'shades'. Light Pink tends to represent grace, gentility,elegance and admiration, while the darker Pinks portray gratitude, appreciation and thanks.

White Roses
These roses send many mixed meanings. In earlier times they were a symbol of love and innocence as shown in the white Rose bridal bouquet. In fact white rosebuds used to signify girlhood. Today we use white Roses for weddings and funerals! Generally in the meaning-of-rose-colors they stand for innocence, purity, reverence, humility, virtue and pureness.

Yellow Roses
Yellow roses have gone through a radical change of meaning. As a color it was a later introduction with little smell so this gave them an unfair negative view. In the far east however, they represented warmth and the sun but in Europe, jealousy and a dying love. Today we associate the yellow rose with spring, and the suns warmth. Joy, friendship, cheerfulness and happiness.

The More Modern Orange and Peach Blend Roses.
These later additions tend to represent enthusiasm and desire as in the 'burning orange' color. (also Halloween!) The Peachy color blends represent 'success'.

As we noted earlier, the Victorians delighted in this language of roses and it seems to be a growing trend again today. Mix white and red for unity. Pale colors are social and deep burgundy can mean beauty in the reciever.But as one inciteful 'Rosarian' noted, make sure the sender and the receiver speak the same 'language' before expressing the meaning of rose colors.

Return to Meaning of Roses from Meaning of Rose Colors

Return to Home Page from Meaning Of Rose Colors