Giving a bouquet of beautiful roses makes a clear statement: the receiver of the flowers is dear to the giver in some meaningful way. Different than giving just a bouquet of flowers, roses imply 'Hey, I really mean this!" The giver has made the effort to bestow what some see as the most beautiful and most splendid of flowers, one that for thousands of years has been the symbol of romance and a soother of the heart.

Roses have been bred in a variety of colors, each with its particular meaning. Now, there are no hard and fast rules - few recipients will fault one for sending a beautiful bouquet of the 'wrong' color! But knowing the meaning a certain hue can imply, and giving the appropriate roses, will make the gift all the more wonderful. Discovering the best way to express your love, affection, friendship, thankfulness, joy, or any other of a great multitude of gestures will make the receiver and the giver more fulfilled with act of giving. Let that someone special in your life know exactly how you feel about them, be they wife or husband, friend or lover, mom or dad, grandma or grandpa or your favorite hero of the day - there are no limitations when sending roses. So let's have a look at the wonderful array of colors and their meanings...

Lover's Red
Red roses show love, passion and respect. True red roses say "I love you" more than any other flower; deep red roses imply unconscious beauty, and that true love may be stronger than thorns. It happens that the perfect red rose is more difficult to grow than any other color - a reflection, perhaps, of the perfect love. Other particular colors of red have particular meanings as well: Amaranth red, long standing desire. Cardinal red, sublime desire. Carmine, deceitful desire. Fiery red, flames of passion.

Sweet Pink
Pink roses communicate happiness, appreciation, admiration, and friendship with grace and elegance. There is a sweetness about the gesture, like the way good friends appreciate one another, or that special feeling of a grandmother's care. Light pink is the more about the sharing of joy, whereas dark pink is more thankful.

Soft Lavender
Lavender roses, those with a soft purple hue, symbolize love at first sight and enchantment - perhaps with a need for discretion.

Pure White
White roses signify purity in many forms. Loyalty, purity, platonic love and spiritual love - a love of the soul. Bridal white means happy love. White roses can also signify secrecy reverence humility, innocence, or charm. Note that white roses can symbolize death in Asian cultures.

Friendly Yellow
Yellow roses in Victorian times meant jealousy, though today yellow shows "I care". The color is that of familiar love and domestic happiness - that of friendship, joy, gladness or freedom. The yellow rose is also sometimes given in sympathy.

Happy Coral and Orange
Coral roses, of a beautiful orange-pink color, imply a bright desire. Not quite as 'lusty' as the deep red, but more of like "We can (or do) spend happy times together".

The Crone's Black

Do black roses really exist? Well, there are very deep colors of red, and roses can be dyed. And their meaning depends on whom you ask: some say they are symbol of death, and can be given as an ominous symbol. Others say they represent the death of old habits or patterns, and symbolize rebirth...it seems one should know the receiver when giving this color!

Fantasy Blue
Similar black, no true blue roses are grown. They are a fantasy color, created through the dying of the flowers themselves, or the adding of a dye to the bark at the shrub's roots. And like the surreal color they are, blue represents wonder and dreamy possibilities.

Mixing rose colors is always a wonderful option - mixing the hues allows one to express feelings in a very personal way. A few "standard" mixes are: White and red to signify unity; red and yellow roses together say "Congratulations!"; yellow and orange in combination imply passionate thoughts.

Other Messages From Roses: A single rose denotes "I still love you", and a bouquet of roses in full bloom expresses the same sentiment in grand fasion; two roses of any color taped or wired together signify a commitment or forthcoming marriage; giving rose buds shows appreciation for youth and beauty.

With roses and flowers there are no limitations as to what can be expressed. The colors of the different types of roses all have their unique place the history of human expression. Knowing the specific meaning of a rose only enhances the experience of sending and receiving them as a glorious and appreciated gift.