12 May 2009

Some Roses are Red, Some Roses are Orange...

I got a package in the mail today from GI Joe. It was my Mother's Day gift, arriving slightly belated. It was 2 dozen orange roses. Beautiful really(except for the fact he also bought me chocolates which turned into one ooey gooey mess in the box in the FedEx truck in the hot Texas sun all day... and if you read my Not Me Monday post, you also know that I came about this close to still eating them lol) and after I rearranged them, they looked great. I used to be a florist way back in my pre-mommyhood days. I knew those random skills would eventually come in handy. As I placed them on the dining table and admire their beautiful orange color, I started wondering...What do orange roses mean?

I know that red signifies romance, yellow is friendship, but what is orange?

So I did some research and here now, for your reading pleasure... everything you ever wanted to know, and more, about various rose colors and what they symbolize.

Rose Colors: The Definitive Reference Guide - From 1-800-Flowers.com

RED-This rose's color symbolizes one thing above all else--love. For hundreds of years people have chosen one color of roses above all others to convey their most heartfelt feelings (experts believe that the red rose first became a symbol of love around 1800). When the message you want to send is "I love you," it's always red roses. So for occasions like Valentine's Day and a wedding anniversary, there is simply no other option.

WHITE-If you're looking for a flower that's the right fit for a bride at her wedding, the right rose colors are white. The same reason the bride wears white is the same reason the roses are white. This flower symbolizes purity above all else. Keeping with this, white is also the appropriate color rose for a confirmation or any occasion celebrating a new beginning.

YELLOW-Yellow is perhaps the color rose with the most diverse history of meanings. Over the centuries, they have been given to convey everything from "welcome home" to jealousy, of all things. Today, however, rose colors in any and all shades of yellow embody friendship more than anything else. Best friends, new friends, old friends--they will all understand your message of everlasting friendship when you send yellow roses.

ORANGE-If you're fired up about something or someone, orange color roses will let them know. Enthusiasm and desire are the primary meanings of orange roses. And while colors like red and white may symbolize everlasting love and pure love, respectively, it's orange that says burning love. However, as with most rose colors, there are other occasions where orange is the right fit; Halloween, for example, and to express feelings of admiration or pride in another.

PURPLE-Purple, or lavender, color roses are just right for love at first sight. Purple has long been associated with passion, luxury, and even magic, which makes this rose's color just right for expressing all the enchantment that only new love delivers. Additionally, purple represents royalty, so if you want to make someone feel like a queen, there may be no better rose.

PINK-While yellow may be the color rose with the most diverse history of meanings--though today, they primarily mean friendship--it's playful pink roses that have the most diverse meanings today. Admiration, appreciation, joy, thanks--roses in any shades of pink say it all. There is a happiness conveyed by pink rose colors that is simply undeniable and always appropriate.

PEACH-While appearing only subtly different from orange roses, peach color roses send an entirely different meaning. Typically, peach colored roses are sent to communicate appreciation, sincerity and gratitude. They're ideal for business gifts or as gifts for Teacher's Day, for example.

So, GI Joe has a hunk-a-hunk of burning love for me, does he? How many more months do we have left of this deployment??? He better hurry his little booty on home to me ;)
And I love the *disclaimer* they place at the bottom of the page:

Remember: when you send roses, you're not just sending flowers. You're sending a message, and the rose color your choose can greatly and easily impact your message. We hope our guide will help you send the exact message you want your flowers to convey.

Ah, words to live by...

1 comment:

Stacy said...

Oh, what a sweetie! Roses and chocolates from afar are definitely a good Mother's Day gift. I love orange roses, too, and now even moreso after I know their meaning! ;)