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Fun Facts About Roses

Roses have been used for centuries and in different cultures as gifts and in flower arranging. Why are red roses given as a sign of love and has it always been that way?  Exploring some of the fun facts about roses is another way to increase our awareness of the art of floral design and the gift of flowers to the ones we love.

Abraham Lincoln said, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

A rose is known as an ancient symbol for love and beauty.  Did you know that it is the national flower for the United States? The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus respectively. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secrets and confidential matters were being discussed.  Early Christians identified five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Rose water or rose perfumes are made by steam distillation of the petals to obtain rose oil. One of the oldest meanings of the word rosary was “a rose garden.”  Rosaries were made up of dried rose hips or rosewood.

A woman named Rose.

Rose O’Neal Greenhow was the name of a very famous female spy for the Confederacy who was both beautiful and wealthy.  She had a daughter named Rose who spent time with her mother in 1862 at Old Capital Hill Prison.  Rose’s daughter, ‘who known as Little Rose’, was only eight years old at the time.  The name Rose for a baby girl originated in Germany. Having been in use since the early 1900’s, it is a variation of Rosalyn, which was ultimately derived from the medieval name “Rosalin.”

Rose colors and their meanings.

Red Rose

Red: love, courage, and respect.

Red and White Together

Red & White Together: unity and togetherness.

Light PInk Rose

Light Pink: Grace, sophistication, and elegance.

Dark Pink Rose

Dark Pink: Gratefulness, appreciation.

White Rose

White: Innocence, purity, secrecy, friendship, reverence, humility.

Yellow Rose

Yellow: Joy, deep friendship.

Black Rose

Black: Death (black being the color of death). It also is for rebirth after death

The rose comes in many colors, fragrances, and sizes.  It has been used for many centuries by different cultures for flower arranging designs, symbolism, religious practices, and is mentioned throughout Mythology.  It plays a significant role even in today’s society in floral design and as gifts.  Has a red rose always been a sign of love? The answer would have to be a definite yes.  There is even mention in the bible of roses and of several uses for them. Needless to say, roses have been around since people took interest in the nature around them and set out to use them to beautify their surroundings. We should all take the time to stop and smell the roses.

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Organic gardens involve the use of all-natural compost, garden tools and pest deterrents. With flower gardening tips, you may want to consider creating an ecosystem where wildlife and other animals can thrive.

Perhaps you enjoy the wonderment of walking through the garden, while gardening with your garden tools and seeing ladybugs, praying mantises, dragonflies, hummingbirds and butterflies enjoying your natural creation as much as you do. Here are some gardening tips to create an enduring, wildlife-friendly garden.

Lady Bug, Dragonfly, Humming Bird, Butterfly and Praying Mantis

If you’re interested in creating a garden that will attract song birds, then you can add a few special shrubs, annuals, perennials, native and cultivated plants to draw them to your yard. By growing healthy plants from each group, you can provide fruits and seeds for all seasons to keep your feathered friends singing all year long.

Be sure to add a bird bath and throw seeds out in the winter to keep your bird clan happy. Also, consider that in addition to your flowers, birds like trees for nesting, protection and shelter from the elements. Sometimes the trees even provide food like sap, seeds and berries.

You can consider deciduous trees like dogwood, red mulberry, American mountain ash, sassafras, hazelnut, chestnut and black walnut, as well as evergreen trees like American holly, red cedar, blue spruce, Douglas fir, white cedar, Ponderosa pine and California juniper.

Flower gardening is an important source of food for sparrows, finches and other songbirds. You can try perennials like penstemon, tickseed, bee balm, goldenrod, cosmos, purple coneflower and four o’ clocks, or you may try annuals like sunflowers, asters, bachelor’s button, spider flower, snapdragons and cockscomb.

Snapdragon, bachelor button, sunflower, spider flower and bee balm

Garden guides also recommend planting shrubs and vines where birds can hide from predators and seek out food. Some tasty plants (like cherries and raspberries) are preferable to our flying friends, but they’re picked clean in a hurry.

On the other hand, birds can be seen feasting all year long on elderberries, blackberries, huckleberries, chokecherries, bayberries, Oregon grapes, beauty-berries, silver-berries, blueberries, crab apples, cranberries and currants all year long.

Naturally, flower gardening to attract both hummingbirds and butterflies is ideal. Gardening tips suggest incorporating bee balm, California fuschia, salvia, columbines, daisies, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, peas, clover, mint, milkweed, parsley, violets and pansiesthe to increase your odds of keeping these creatures nearby.

Nature stores also sell very effective red and yellow hummingbird feeders that these little winged beauties just love. Garden supplies stores online sometimes sell butterflies from farms that you can let loose in your backyard once it’s all set up to jumpstart the process.

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Here’s a video that shows various rose colors and their meanings that I think you will enjoy

Some viewers have left these comments:

krysant50 (1 year ago)

how gud to know the meanin of my fav flowers, beside wild flowers, all of them.
Txs so much, Friend.Enjoy great week and have fun! kk from Poland

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By Joel S. Taylor

Since Victorian times flowers have been used to convey specific messages to the recipient. The type of flower and its color help the sender communicate a particular sentiment, emotion, or idea. Flowers can express love, hate, jealousy, or happiness – almost any thought imaginable. Although people still send flowers as a way to say something meaningful to a friend or family member, many flowers’ specific historical meanings are usually unknown.

Before you send that next bouquet of flowers to someone important, read through these flower meanings to acquaint yourself with the symbolism of some of the world’s most beautiful blooms:

Carnation: An ancient flower from the East dating back more than 2000 years, the carnation is a strong, aromatic flower that represents pride and beauty. Carnations are perfect for recent graduates, someone who has overcome a difficult challenge, or anyone celebrating the accomplishment of a goal. If you want to say, “I’m proud of you,” carnations are the right choice. They also signify love and devotion.

Hydrangea: The hydrangea boasts a colorful history. First cultivated in Japan, it was introduced to the UK in 1788. Hydrangeas are emblematic of anything sincere and heartfelt, which makes them the only choice if you want to apologize for a wrong or express a sentiment that comes from the heart.

Iris: A delicate flower popular with a wide range of people, the iris is both stunning and serene. Irises open up in the spring and remain that way for several days. According to tradition, this flower is the best way to send your compliments to another person. So if you’ve been thinking of complimenting someone you admire, consider selecting a pretty bouquet of irises as a unique gift. Irises also stand for faith, wisdom, and hope.

Larkspur: Part of the buttercup family, the larkspur adds a certain panache and elegance to a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. A light, soft flower with blooms that seem to float on air, a bunch of larkspurs are meant to encourage the recipient to be cheerful and not take life too seriously. It’s no wonder larkspurs are synonymous with lightheartedness and good humor.

Orchid: An exotic bloom that can catch anyone’s eye, the orchid is a unique flower whose beauty all can appreciate. To capture the attention of that person you want to take notice, a bouquet of professionally arranged orchids is the only way to go. Representative of love and beauty, orchids are wonderful if you have amorous intentions.

Rose: Throughout time the rose has played a prominent role in history and mythology alike. For instance, it’s well known that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, presented Cupid with a rose. Certainly, the rose’s symbolism is forever intertwined with the sentiments of love, passion, and attraction. If you want to send a loved one a bouquet of fresh roses, you really can’t go wrong.

Article by ProFlowers, a flower delivery company.

Other flower meaning resources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower

[http://www.flowersociety.com/]

http://www.aboutflowers.com/floral_b5.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/flowers.asp

Flower Expert from Proflowers

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joel_S._Taylor
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Secret-Language-of-Flowers&id=559878

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By Timothy Spencer

Starting a friendship is a social skill that takes years to learn. Doing it successfully, like with most skills, involves a lot of trial and error on your part. Knowing when to approach a person, picking the right topic to start a conversation, and finding the guts to start it may come naturally to some people. Others find making friends difficult due to shyness and the lack of confidence in their verbal skills. Whichever the case is, one good way to start a friendship without some of the awkwardness is to give flowers on the right occasions.

Flowers can sometimes be more eloquent than people. Different roses, for instance, have varying shades of meaning for every affair. Also, giving flowers mean that you value a relationship (or future relationship) enough to go out of your way to make the person feel special. Starting a friendship involves confidence, trust, and effort. Giving flowers certainly makes the person appreciate your efforts more in trying to be friends.

However, before giving flowers to people you’d like to be friends with, make sure that you know the right flowers to pick. They should be appropriate to the occasion. For example, if you’re attending a birthday celebration for a person that you are not that closely acquainted with, giving orange roses says that you want to know her better. If you’re at a wedding, giving yellow roses to the newlyweds mean that you are glad to share their happiness. Peach and pink roses convey admiration, so if you want to start a friendship with an office mate (or anyone whose work you appreciate), pink or peach flowers are the best choice.

Giving flowers is a good touch to develop a friendship, but don’t forget to consider other factors. One, always be well-groomed. Give a good first impression and maintain that impression. Two, update yourself on current events and read a lot of books so that starting a conversation with a stranger comes easier. Three, have a positive outlook in life so that people would be attracted to you, because really, no one wants to hang out with an emo (unless they’re emo too)! Lastly, just relax and enjoy meeting people rather than always worrying about whether you said or did the right thing. Before you know it, starting a friendship has become a breeze. It will come naturally to you if you put effort into it – and nothing says “effort” better than giving flowers besides improving yourself.

This article was written by Timothy Spencer for Island Rose – Philippines Flowers Delivery. We hope you enjoyed this article and encourage you to visit our website. Through Island Rose, you can Send Flowers to the Philippines or simply browse through our blog for more informative articles.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Timothy_Spencer
http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-a-Friendship-Using-Flowers&id=1947560

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