The significance of the rose

Flowers make for a sublime gift for anyone, whether it is a relative, friend or a loved one. Roses however are quite literally a cut above, symbolising beauty and perfection as well as romantic love. You may be surprised however just how significant roses have been culturally across different civilizations and over many generations.

The Greeks held that the rose was created by their goddess of flowers, Chloris. Indeed the word ?rose? itself originates from the Greek ?rhodon?. Chloris used her power to transform the body of a dead nymph into the rose. With the help of the other gods she was then able to give it beauty, its lovely aroma, as well as make it bloom.

Cleopatra similarly was obsessed with roses. The floors of her palaces were said to be carpeted with layers of rose petals. Moreover it was then that the rose was beginning to establish its seemingly very modern identity as a symbol of love: people would give wreaths of roses to their beloved, hanging them on doors to those they held feelings for.

The red rose ultimately came from China, where roses were highly treasured and where it was important to care properly for them. Indeed Confucius had a library containing hundreds of books specifically about how one ought to tend to roses. Wherever you go in the world, you will find the rose has a special place in all cultures.

Of course roses have been put to even more imaginative and inventive use in the past too. Pure rose oil remains one of the most precious essential oils to be found on the earth: five thousand pounds of fresh rose petals are required in order to make just one pound of rose oil.

Napoleon meanwhile would give his officers bags of rose petals. This was, perhaps unsurprisingly, not because he wanted them to know how much they meant to him, but in order that they could boil them in white wine in order to cure lead poisoning from bullet wounds.

A special and distinct language surrounds roses, in use in many time periods and in different parts of the world. This language developed originally in the Middle East, as a means by which lovers could contact one another even though they were unable to express themselves to each other. In this language giving roses of different colours is a way of expressing different feelings, for example yellow roses sent following a first encounter may mean the person who sends them is trying to say he is not looking for a lasting partnership. Budding red roses meanwhile represent desire still forming and an open red rose conversely stands for love which is already acknowledged.

With such a rich and vivid history, it''s no wonder why so many people still to this day choose roses in order to express their love. If you want to give a gift to someone you love, there can hardly be a better way to say what you feel.

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Nita Hannibal is a horticulturalist and freelance writer based in Bristol. They recommend Interflora for flower delivery Bristol.

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