When we telephone the neighborhood florists to ask for a flower delivery, it can be fun to think about the old, traditional significance of certain blossoms. We all remember that red blooms are meant to convey love, but other flowers and their hues have fascinating backgrounds as well.
As far back as Shakespeare we know plants and flowers had special meanings since Ophelia talks about \”rosemary for remembrance\” and other flowers in one of her speeches. The more modern meanings of flowers arose in the very proper and social restrictive Victorian era when everything was formal and a person could not just openly declare their intentions.
Writing a passionate love letter or flirting eye-to-eye was considered inappropriate, so bouquets of flowers often took their place. There were complex guides to the meanings of different types of flowers and their hues, so the recipient of a bouquet could translate the message behind the flowers sent.
Roses are often prominently featured in floral arrangements. Popular all-rose bouquets are a great way to say that you care, as well. Red roses stand for romantic love, of course, but did you know that other colors carry different messages? Pink roses are a way to proclaim friendship, and white roses symbolize purity - hence they are often featured in wedding ceremonies and bouquets. Roses that are a combination of one or more hues can carry even more complex meanings
Yellow roses weren’t available until the 18th century and before their discovery the only roses there were came in colors from white to red. At first, yellow roses were not thought of in a positive light and they were thought to represent fading love, envy or infidelity. But other yellow flowers were thought to represent sunlight and happiness. Today people send yellow roses as messages of friendship, celebration and joy.
In Texas, yellow roses can also be a message of more passion because of a once popular and still well known song called The Yellow Rose of Texas. While the \”rose\” in the folk song refers to a woman, we know that a rose called Harrison’s yellow was developed as a hybrid about the same decade as the first record of the song appeared so the rose may have inspired the song. In any case, Texans are extraordinarily fond of yellow roses to this day
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