By Cecilia White, O.A.C. Horticulture, Canadian Certified Technician
Canadian Institute of Floral Deisgn, CW Horticluture.
Georgetown, ON

Roses were considered tokens of love before Valentine’s Day was established.  The history of roses and love dates back to Roman mythology.

Bacchus the Roman god of wine and joy and Venus, the goddess of love, considered the beauty and fragrance of flowers to be symbolic of romance and love.  In one tale Cupid was carrying a vase of sweet nectar to the gods on Mount Olympus and he spilled it on the ground.  It was in that spot that roses grew.

The popularity of roses emerged when Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, received her lover Mark Anthony. Roses were strewn on the floors of her palace to a depth of eighteen inches.  Sofas were covered with rose petals and fountains filled with rose water.

After the fall of the Roman Empire rose cultivation continued with Benedictine monks.  As the excesses of the Romans were forgotten, the rose became the emblem of Christianity.  At the same time, the Islam religion celebrated the rose as a symbol of perfection and grew them in enclosed gardens in Alhambra and Kashmir.

Bashful Victorian suitors presented gifts of roses to express their emotions.  Different colours, varieties, and arrangements of roses were used to carry different messages.

• Red ~Love, I love you, respect, courage.
• Pink ~Perfect happiness, please believe me, you are gentle and graceful.
• Deep Pink ~Thank you.
• Light Pink ~Admiration.
• White ~ Innocence & purity, I am worthy of you, heavenly, secrecy & silence.
• Yellow ~ Friendship, joy and happiness.