14 DAY TRIAL // The rose is by far the flower most charged of symbolism and meaning. 25 Ma years old petrified fossils of roses (Rosa sp) have been found.
The oldest known human representation of a flower is that of a rose. It appears on a silver medal found in a tomb from the Altay Mountains region (southern Siberia) and it seems to be 7.000 years old.
5,000 years ago, the rose was cultivated in the Middle East (Babylon, Persia and Syria). From here, the rose reached the second most important cultivation centers in antiquity: Greece and Rome. A third area is constituted by eastern countries: China, Japan and India.
Written sources from the ancient Summer (Ur and Akkad), testify that king Sargon I (roughly 2400 BC) brought from Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), after a military campaign, amongst other loots, vine, fig trees and ?roses. In the ancient Egypt, the rose cultivation entered very late, around 3rd century BC, under the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty.
The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love (Aphrodite, respectively Venus). Greeks said that one day Chloris, the nymph, encountered another dead nymph and turned it into a flower. Aphrodite gave her beauty. The three graces gave her charm, joy and exuberance. Dionis offered her the perfumed nectar, while Zephyrus, the west wind, blew the clouds so that Apollo would bath the flower in sunlight. In the end, the flower was given to Eros, the God of Love, who chose the rose as "the Queen of the Flowers".
The Roman legend says that Rodanthe was a woman assaulted by many suitors. She was interested in none of them, but the young were so in love with her, that they assaulted her house, even tumbling its gate. Angered, the goddess Diana turned the woman into a flower and the suitors into its prickles.
In Rome, a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where confidential matters were discussed. The phrase "sub rosa" (under the rose) meant to guard a secret.
Red roses mean "I love you". Red and white roses mean unity, pink means grace and fragility, yellow means joy. Passional persons can send orange or coral colored roses. Burgundy red roses will render homage to the unknown beauty of the loved person. A sole rose means simplicity. White roses must not be confounded with rose white buds. The first mean "You're divine", the second say "You're too young for love". Do not offer roses if you do not want to send the message "I love you".
Early Christians regarded the five petals of the wild rose as the five wounds of Jesus, but they hesitated to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan rituals. Eventually, the red rose was adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Later, roses also came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.
Similar love signification is possessed by other flowers, too: red chrysanthemums, tulips or carnations. Daisies render a homage to the loved person, while the calla wants to pay homage to an exceptional beauty. You cannot send a lilac branch just once, as it symbolizes the first love, while gardenias betray a secret, shared love. Violets symbolize affection.
You can ridicule the vanity of a person by sending him/her daffodils, the flower of self love. Petunias symbolize anger and resentments, while sunflower is associated with arrogance and fake appearance. Cactus flower means soul warmth while holy basil transmits hate.