Is a rose by any other name still a rose? What was the process that this flower, more so than any other, has grown such symbolism as the flower of flowers? Plantec shares a special Valentine's Day edition where the history of the rose takes the main stage because knowing where and why your romantic roses come from is also important for the biggest celebration of love.
Unwrapping Romance and History With the Queen of Flowers for Valentine's Day
What better represents passion, than a red rose, innocence than a white rose, tenderness than a pink rose? Roses have been ingrained in human history for millennia, with the first written records of domesticated roses coming from around 3,000 BC from China. During the era of the Greek Pantheon, it was Aphrodite the goddess of beauty and love that gave the rose its name by rearranging the letters of the name of her son Eros. Roses were used in antiquity for celebrations, burials, medicine, and as a natural perfume.
Passing on to the history of roses in the Egyptian civilization, rose petals can be found in ancient Egyptian tombs and paintings. It is even said that Cleopatra VII used red roses during her public appearances and enjoyed having their aroma follow her wherever she went. Many Egyptian rose references originated during Alexander the Great's reign, which increased their popularity throughout the country. So, as you can see, roses have had a tremendous impact on human history dating back to thousands of years ago.
The tradition of presenting roses on Valentine's Day has also been an important mark of this flower in our history, and the red rose has always been the flower of choice. Here's where the fun part comes in and Plantec shares its top three favorite red roses for the celebration of this worldwide date.
Red roses have always made their way into everyone's hearts, leaving a profound visual impact because of their unbeatable beauty and the sentiment they express, especially red roses such as Explorer roses (the flagship rose from Ecuador). The variety took the country by storm and has had a resurgence in 2023. The jump in demand for Rose Explorer is directly linked to how excited the American and European markets were to discover this rose which for years was almost entirely destined exclusively for the Russian Market.
Now with the United States and Europe increasing the demand for the rose, it has become much more widely available for the final consumers worldwide. Its dark red hue is unmistakable, and Explorer's sister rose, Rose Red Panther, has the same shape and intensity as Explorer, but with a unique marbled appearance that can enchant and delight, especially as a heartfelt gift for such a special day like Valentine's. These two sister roses represent everything Valentine's Day is known for because of their humble beauty and the grandiose message of love and intimacy they send out at first sight and encounter.
Of course, Plantec's Rose Fortune makes it to their favorite choices of red roses for the most loving season of the year. Their Fortune rose stands as an innovation of the standard red rose, portraying a message of eternal love. A rose, like a chocolate or a fine wine, must be enjoyed while it is in bloom. Part of the experience of a beautiful rose is the end of its vase life, exactly like a box of chocolates will be empty once eaten, or even the finest wine turning into an empty bottle once enjoyed. Fortune roses are an innovative product in the market because of their longer vase life, lasting well into three weeks in a vase if properly cared for. And who would pass up a larger box of chocolates or a bigger bottle of wine or in this case, longer-lasting roses?
Roses are known to have appeared about 35 million years ago and up to this day, their impact is never-ending. Their roots are firmly entrenching in culture all over the world and their blooms speak to us perhaps more than any other flower.
But why red roses? Because in Greek mythology, these flowers were sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. It is believed Aphrodite's tears and the blood of her lover, Adonis, watered the ground from where bushes of red roses grew. It then became a symbol of true love until death for Romanas.
The rose that grows in many different forms in gardens all over the world today is an evolution of rose-like plants that lived in the northern hemisphere between 33 million and 23 million years ago. Traces of them have been found in the fossil record of the Oligocene epoch in Europe, Asia, and western North America.
It's believed that the rose is a favorite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love, as it is symbolic for strong, intense, and loving feelings. As such, lovers began giving flowers to those they cared about to convey their deep affection for one another.
They've symbolised love throughout history, firmly cementing their status as the romantic flower of choice. In Greek mythology, the red rose was created by the goddess of love Aphrodite, and in Roman times, newly married couples wore rose crowns and covered their beds in rose petals.
It is often believed that the Victorians were the first to show their love for each other by giving roses as a token of their affection. Since then, February 7 has been recognised as Rose Day, a day to celebrate the giving and receiving of roses.
Saint Valentine was discovered and imprisoned in a torture-ridden Roman jail, where he fell in love with a mysterious girl (believed to be his prosecutor's daughter). He sent her a love letter signed 'from your Valentine' right before his execution, thus originating the romantic sign-off still widely used today.
Beautiful looks, pleasant smell, mesmerizing form, and easy care requirements together make rose the queen of flowers. Asseverated for its natural beauty, for symbolic value, and cultural importance, roses are the reigning queen of every heart and garden.
The rose, of course, possessed rich and evocative symbolism centuries before Ambrose linked it to the Virgin Mary. Among the Greeks, the five-petaled rose was a symbol of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, while among the Romans it became associated with both Venus and the goddess of spring, Persephone.
The tradition of giving red roses on Valentine's Day dates back to the 15th century, when red roses symbolized passionate love and admiration. Over time, the red rose has become closely associated with Valentine's Day and the celebration of romantic love.
One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.
Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day.
That accolade belongs to the beautiful lily of the valley. These delicate blooms are harder than you might think. And, they're a permanent feature of the floral displays at Buckingham Palace. The flowers were also included in the Queen's coronation bouquet in 1953.
While a red rose is known to symbolize true love, the bloom is available in other colors that convey various meanings. White roses convey purity and everlasting love, yellow symbolize friendship, pink symbolize elegance, and lavender symbolize love at first sight, says Tina Merola of Blooms by the Box.
The traditional gift for Valentine's Day, red roses symbolise love, romance, and devotion, and are the perfect bloom to simply say 'I love you'. These flowers are our best sellers on Valentine's Day and we can understand why - it's a timeless, classic Valentine's gift.
According to mythology, Aphrodite's beauty was so great that roses sprang up wherever she walked. As a result, red roses became a symbol of love and desire, and were often used in romantic gestures and rituals. Red roses were also associated with Adonis, the Greek god of beauty and desire.
This day holds special significance as it revolves around expressing love and affection through the timeless symbol of the rose. Rose Day finds its origins in the age-old tradition of exchanging roses as tokens of love and friendship.
Red. The most classic of them all, a red rose is a perfect choice for a significant other. This stunning shade most popularly stands for passion and communicates love. It's the rose of romance and deep feelings, but can also relay desire, beauty, victory, harmony, joy, luck, pride, martyrdom, according to McCord Jones.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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