The Colors of Roses and What They Symbolize

Roses are a common flower to give to a friend or loved one. In addition to looking sweet and lovely, roses also give off a wonderful, calming scent. Giving roses to someone is a classy and elegant move that shows you have refined tastes.

Contrary to popular belief, roses are not just a gift for lovers. They’re very versatile and can be used in almost all occasions, and given to almost anyone. The trick here is to know the meaning of roses by color and number. 

Different rose colors are suitable for different occasions and persons. It can be a parent, girlfriend or boyfriend, spouse, sibling, friend or colleague. You’ll be fine as long as you give them the appropriate color and number of roses that fit the occasion. Here, we’ll look at the significance of roses by their colors.

The Different Rose Colors and Their Meaning

There are more than two dozen types of rose colors, in all the shades of the rainbow. Some roses are grown naturally, while there are certainly roses that are dyed an artificial color.

1.      Red Roses

Deep red roses look stunning, and they’re usually given on romantic occasions like Valentine’s Day.  This is because red roses convey the meaning of ‘Romantic Love’ and ‘Passion’. Their deep red color is able to conjure up feelings of deep affection between couples. The number of roses you give, when giving red roses, is also significant.

2.      White Roses

White roses are more somber and they’re usually used for remembrance or religious ceremonies. White roses convey the feeling of purity, chastity and innocence. They’re sometimes mixed into a bouquet for weddings, to pay homage to the sanctity of marriage. In general, white roses are also used to express sympathy, and to say farewell to a respected person.

3.      Cream Roses

Cream roses are also called ivory roses, eggshell colored roses or off-white roses. These roses represent elegance, luxury and class. They’re often incorporated into romantic bouquets together with red roses to form an attractive design. More commonly, you can see them as centerpieces at upper crust dining establishments, as well as in hotels.

4.      Yellow Roses

Yellow roses are bright, cheerful and often form part of a bouquet meant to convey happiness to its recipient. Yellow roses stand for friendship, care and compassion. It’s often gifted to friends or family on events like birthdays, or to mark an important milestone, like recovery from illness or the birth of a baby.

5.      Orange Roses

Orange colored roses are relatively rare, but they’re often incorporated into bouquets meant to convey cheerfulness to recipients. Orange roses stand for excitement, enthusiasm and energy. With their bright burst of color, this comes as no surprise. Orange roses will always be the choice of those who want to give a boost of energy to someone close.

6.      Peach Roses

Peach roses are one of the sweetest colors of roses available. They’re often associated with modesty, sincerity and calm. This makes them a common choice when people want to send sympathy wreaths. They’re also pretty popular among family members and can be sent as mother’s day presents, or as a gift from parents to their children for graduations, birthdays and other celebrations.

7.      Pink Roses

Pink roses are also a color associated with romantic love. However, rather than a fiery and passionate kind, pink roses represent sweet and innocent love. This is why pink roses are popular as part of wedding bouquets. Pink roses are also given as a token of gratitude and appreciation to someone, so you’ll see a lot of it during teacher’s day and retirements too.

8.      Lavender Roses

Purple-hued roses are pretty rare, and hold the meaning that someone is priceless, exquisite and rare. Lavender is such an elegant color, and also the color of royalty in the west. Therefore it is also associated with regality and high standing. This is a great color to send to someone you admire, like a mentor, teacher, or a senior at work.

9.      Blue Roses

Blue roses do not exist naturally, and have to be dyed to that color. Blue roses represent something mysterious and unattainable. However, these days they’re quite popular among couples due to their unique color. Blue roses, especially those in light, baby blue, are popular as gifts for new mothers if they’re just given birth to a boy. Pastel blue roses are also often seen as part of decorative fresh flower bouquets in offices, hotels and restaurants.

10.  Black Roses

Believe it or not, black roses aren’t actually black. They’re actually a very deep and dark purple or burgundy. These dark roses do actually exist in nature, and were purposefully bred that way. Black roses have always found its way into movies and literature, with various mythical meanings. Despite having been associated with negative elements like loss and mourning, black roses actually look elegant when incorporated in the right way into modern bouquets.

11.  Yellow Roses With Red Tips

Multi-colored roses are quite common in nature, and yellow roses with red tips are one of them. These types of roses represent falling in love, or new love. They’re therefore very suitable as gifts between partners who have just started out on a relationship. The change in color from the inner petals to the tips hold the meaning that love should turn more passionate as time wears on.

12.  Green Roses

Contrary to popular belief, light green roses are not artificial. They are naturally bred and exist in nature, very commonly seen in spring. Green roses signify newness and rebirth. They’re often gifted to someone who is embarking on a new phase of life, with hopes that everything will turn out for the best.

The language of roses has come to us through time and history. It’s therefore pertinent to understand that the number of roses have meaning, as well as their color. The meaning of the number of roses and their color will help you communicate better to those around you, and avoid any misunderstanding.