The Language of Roses

Roses. Most of us love to get them, but maybe you didn't know that the different colors have different meanings. Here are the most common ones:

Red. Love everlasting with more than a hint of passion! Red roses, no matter the shade, mean "I love you." Personally, I would be a little nervous if I received a dozen red roses after a first date. There were dark red roses on the altar when I married my husband Alex.

Light Pink. Happiness, joy, friendship. They can also denote sympathy. I assume they can also mean, "I'm sorry I screwed up," although any rose says that!

Deep Pink. This shade signifies gratitude and respect. If you get a dozen deep pink roses after a first date, it probably means, "Thank you for a wonderful time," or "Thank you for going out with me." Enjoy them!

Yellow. Yellow means friendship, which rather surprised me. After all, the old song "Yellow Rose of Texas" is not about a young man missing his best friend. On the other hand, I have gotten a lot of red roses from Alex over the years. Since he's also my best friend, I was tickled to death to get a yellow rose bush as a Mother's Day present this year.

However, if you've just gone out on a first date and receive a yellow rose, I would double-check - the sender might be saying "I want to be friends only." Ouch!

Lavender. Lavender means love at first sight, and can also mean enchantment. Hmm. This is my favorite color of rose - I wonder what that says about me?

White. Spiritual love, and purity - of the soul, not the body. This may be why white roses are so popular in bridal bouquets. If you get white roses, according to the experts, it means that the giver thinks you're an angel.

Orange. These can mean new beginnings, but they can also symbolize enthusiasm and desire. Orange for desire, but red for love. Makes sense. I've never been all that keen on orange roses, personally.

Peach. Innocence, modesty. Which is weird, because I like peach roses, but I'm neither innocent nor terribly modest!

Apparently there is also a message in the combination of different colors in the same bouquet.

Red and White. These colors together symbolize unity.

Red and Yellow. This is a good combination for a graduation party or wedding or baby shower, as it means "Congratulations!"

Yellow and Orange. The giver is thinking passionate thoughts about you. Hmm...

Red and Pink. Someone thinks you are young (maybe young at heart?) and beautiful.

Other interesting rose messages:

A bouquet of rose buds (as opposed to fully opened flowers), any color, symbolizes youth and innocent love. They may also mean that the giver would love to be in a relationship with you, but thinks you're too young.

The leaves of the rose plant symbolize optimism and hope.

I'd just seen the film Gladiator before my husband was scheduled for the final defense of his Ph.D thesis. In the movie, the spectators of the gladiatorial fights would shower the victor with rose petals to honor him and his achievement. I made darn sure I had a bag of red rose petals with me when Alex came to me with the news that he was, finally, Dr. Alex!

Interestingly, an informal poll of my spouse and some other guys yielded an interesting result: men like to receive roses, too! Not other flowers, necessarily, but they all agreed that "roses are okay - but please don't have them delivered to work!"

What's that florist's number?