Meaning of rose colors

So what are you saying when you give a yellow rose, or include a red rose in a painting?

Rose Color Meaning, and a few other things that might interest you with Roses.

Gosh, when researching this subject, I found book loads of information available about rose color meaning, the number of roses given, and even the meaning behind the multicolored roses that have been recently developed.  


The meaning of the color in roses explained.

Below you'll also find images of paintings that match a particular color of rose.  Feel free to "PIN IT" and share with your friends that special message you wish to convey.  Enjoy! 

Lets start off with the colors of roses we have today.  There is the red, white, yellow, orange/peach, lavender/purple, and pinks.  We even have red and white, yellow and red tips, red and yellow.  There’s even a red rose so deeply dark red that unless viewed under bright lights, it appears black, however, only special collectors have this as it requires special care.

Now here’s the list.  It is a basic list that will explain just the basic and broad meaning. 

  • White Rose  -  Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality 

white rose picture dew drops
small white rose painting

The meaning of rose colors, Red, the most popular.

  • Red Rose - Love and Passion, the Lovers Rose!
  • Lavender or Purple Rose - Enchantment, Majesty, Love at First Sight
  • Pink Rose - Love, Gratitude, Appreciation
pink rose blossom painting
pink rose picture
  • Orange Rose - Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion

orange rose painting
  • Yellow Rose - Friendship, Joy, Get Well
yellow rose painting
yellow rose zoom in
  • Yellow with Red Tip Friendship - Falling in Love

  • Red and White Given together - these signify unity
  • Red and Yellow  Celebration - Jovial and Happy Feelings

orange yellow rose bush
  • Black - Death, Farewell
  • Blue - The unattainable, the impossible
  • A Single Rose in any color - Simplicity, Gratitude
  • Red Rosebud - Symbolic of purity and loveliness
  • White Rosebud - Symbolic of girlhood

More Meaning of rose colors and the number of roses given.

Learn and Master Painting
  • The Single Red Rose is a symbol of Love & Passion
  • The Single Red Rosebud means purity and loveliness, or “You are the One”
  • 12 Roses, of any color, “Be my steady”, mutual attraction, a satisfactory union.
  • 12 Red Roses have long been the standard for expressing a deep and abiding love, especially if the flowers are red roses.  Red roses are the “Lover’s Rose” and is a symbol of true love and fairy tale endings.
  • 12 white roses mean purity, & innocence. They can be used to show that you feel that your love is pure and that you believe the recipient to be pure. White roses also mean you are loyal. A dozen white roses can also say, “I’m sorry” after an argument.
  • 12 yellow roses is a gesture of friendship, joy and  happiness. Yellow roses are associated with sunlight and warmth.  Meaning “I am happy and I love you.” A dozen yellow roses is a great way to say, “Get Well Soon” or “Welcome Back!” or “We missed you”. They also mean you had a great time and enjoy their company but, and you wish to see them again, but want to keep things light and casual.
  • 12 peach roses  are used to send a message of appreciation, thanks.  They also mean that you really appreciate someone being in your life or that you are glad that they are a member of your team. A dozen peach roses is a simple way to say “Thank You”.
  • 12 Orange roses shout it out that you think the recipient is really, really, hot or sexy and you can’t wait to see them again.
  • 12 lilac or lavender (purple) roses can be used to express infatuation. Lilac roses express feelings of delight, or being overcome by adoration. So if you want to tell someone that you have fallen head over heals in love at first sight, then send them a dozen purple roses.
  • 12 pink roses is a refined way of saying “Thank you”. Pink roses convey the message that says the recipient has grace, and is a joy to be around.
  • 12 black roses mean “it’s over”. A fairly dramatic way to and a relationship since black roses represents death and loss.
  • 24 Roses - with two dozen roses you are expressing yourself with gusto. No matter the color you’re saying you can’t get them out of your mind, you can’t stop thinking about them, or you can’t forget that very special moment.

Now that you've been schooled on meaning of rose colors, you'll know what is the best color rose to give that special someone you're thinking about!

Are you interested in more? Check out this page on the history of the rose!

Here you'll find myths and real history behind our most famous flower.

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