Roses: Your “Go To Gift”

Need a fresh gift idea? Many people traditionally think of roses as a romantic gift. However, roses are so much more than that. Few truly appreciate the uniqueness of roses and how the right spin on the gift of roses will make it the best gift yet.

Don’t feel left in the dark. From the flower meaning of roses to crafty card messages, here’s how to turn your bouquet of roses into the ultimate gift of love, friendship or thanks.

It’s Good To Look Back – A Partial History of the Rose

Adding a creative spin to your gift is easy when you know the history of the rose. The enclosure card is a great place to let your sweetheart or friend know why you chose the gift of roses. Do you see her as a goddess? An elegant, aristocratic type? Find your inspiration below.

Roses have played a large part of many societies throughout the world. In both Greek and Roman mythology, roses were associated with their goddesses of love (Aphrodite and Venus respectively). The rose has also been attributed to the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Christian religion’s Virgin Mary.

During the time of the Roman Empire, Romans placed a rose on the doorstep where secret matters were being discussed. The term “sub rosa,” meaning “under the rose,” came from this practice. The phrase means “to keep a secret” or “keep it secret.”

In English society, the rose is the national flower of England and the provincial flower of two provinces. It is also the national flower of the United States and the state flower of four U.S. states.

Valentines Day in the U.S. is not the only time when roses are given as a gift of love. Dark red roses are also given as romantic or affectionate gifts on St. George’s Day in Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain.

Why do you see so many roses with French names? Because much of the fascination with roses began when Empress Josephine of France encouraged the breeding of roses at her gardens in Malmaison. Subsequently, many famous French artists have grown famous for their depictions of roses. Examples include Pierre-Joseph Redoute, Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Paul Cezanne. In fact, the “Fantin-Latour” rose is named for the famed still life painter.

Need A Unique Gift To Go With Your Roses – Edible Is Better

When you’re shopping for unique gifts to go with your bouquet of roses, consider accompanying the blooms with these complementary gifts.

Did you know that roses have edible qualities? Though we don’t recommend chomping down on one anytime soon, there are ways to enjoy the flavor of roses. Attar of rose is an essential oil made from roses.

Rose water, made from rose oil, is used often in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. The French also create rose syrup which is used in American cuisine to flavor foods such as rose scones and rose marshmallows. Rose hips, the fleshy fruit produced on roses in the late summer, is occasionally used to flavor jams, jellies and marmalade as well.

Make Your Valentine’s Day Gift Unique – Rose Color Meanings

Like many other flowers, roses have different meanings based on color, type of rose, rose or rosebud, and other associations. We’ve sorted through them all and have come up with a list that will help make your Valentine’s Day gift unique. Want to show how much you adore someone this Valentine’s Day? Send roses with a unique flower meaning based on color. (Don’t forget to sneak the meaning into the card message.)

Pale Pink Roses - Modesty	Red Roses - Passionate Love	Pink Roses - Friendship
Lavender Roses - Enchantment	Orange Roses - Fascination	Red & White Variegated - Unity
Coral Roses - Desire	White Roses - Purity, Innocence

Unique Card Messages – Rose Quotes

Roses have been the talk of poets and artists for many centuries. When trying to arrive at the right Valentine’s Day card message for your sweetheart, consider taking a hint (or the whole thing) from some of these rose quotes.

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses. ~Alphonse Kerr

But he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose. ~Anne Bronte

You are beautiful, but you are empty. One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you–the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Can anyone remember love? It’s like trying to summon up the smell of roses in a cellar. You might see a rose, but never smell the perfume. ~Arthur Miller

And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies. Christopher Marlowe I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds ’round my neck. ~Emma Goldman

The sweetest flower that blows, I give you as we part. For you it is a Rose, For me it is my heart. ~Frederick Peterson

And she was fair as is the rose in May. Geoffrey Chaucer One may live without bread, not without roses. ~Jean Richepin

The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose is a dove. ~John Boyle O’Reilly

A single rose can be my garden…a single friend, my world. ~Leo Buscaglia.

Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense. ~Mark Overby.

The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart. ~Unknown

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. ~William Shakespeare

When you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day or “just because” gift this year, don’t forget the ever-faithful standard — roses. With a little creativity and some help from your local florist, your gift of roses will be as special as your sweetheart and the love that binds you.

Did you enjoy this FlowerShopNetwork.com newsletter?  Add your name to our monthly email list.