Roses and their History in Romance

When it comes to love, most everyone’s floral go-to is the Rose. The red rose specifically is a universal symbol of romance. But have you ever thought about how this came to be? How does a flower typically adorned with a thorn-riddled stem become the sign of love and devotion?

With fossils dating back 35 million years, the rose has a deep history. They were often used in trade as medicine, perfume, and confetti. They were often seen as a symbol of power and status. It was even believed that Cleopatra used roses in her chambers to entice her lovers and make their scent an association to her.

The rose is also seen in mythology due to its ties to the love goddess Aphrodite. It was said that roses grew from her tears over her love for Adonis. The roses were red because of Adonis’s blood and sacrifice. Also, during the Victorian era, roses were used as a form of communication. The red rose was code for romance, love, desire, and devotion.

Roses are known for being aromatic, vibrant in color, and fragile to touch. The red rose is most commonly used due to its psychological links to passion, desire, and emotion. Their fragrance is sensual, and their petals are often lush, even as a bud.

Because of their history in romance, the rose is seen through generations in songs, poetry, and art. Famous paintings and portraits by Claude Monet, Vincent VanGogh, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir glorify the rose, often including other notable people from the time posing with the flower. One famous portrait is of Mary Antoinette, painted in 1783 by Le Brun, holding a rose while dressed in a blue gown, symbolizing status and beauty.

This long history of the rose makes it universally recognized as a symbol of romanticism, devotion, and love. It is even used as an emoji today in text messages and emails. Hollywood uses the rose in several films, one of the most famous being Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Other popular films include 2015’s “The Little Prince”, 1999’s “American Beauty”, and 1951’s “Alice in Wonderland”.

As quoted by Shakespeare, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet”. Shakespeare speaks of roses more than 70 times in his works.

Songwriters have used the rose extensively throughout history, one of the earliest recorded being “A Red, Red Rose”, published in 1796 by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It is estimated that across the genres, there are millions of songs that include roses in the lyrics.

The popularity of the rose has increased the demand so much that many greenhouses and gardens have dedicated themselves to strictly cultivating and growing them. Though there are only roughly 20 commercial cut-rose growers in the US, the number of commercial growers worldwide is quite large, with most of the crop being exported to the US. The largest producers are Colombia, with approximately 7,000 acres in cultivation, and Ecuador. Other large producers include India, Kenya, and the Netherlands.

In total, roughly 250 million roses are produced annually just for Valentine's Day.

And in the US? That’s over half a billion dollars every year just to say “I love you”.

Heidi Meadows

Horticulturist