The Meanings Of 10 Different Rose Colors + When To Gift Them

That's right; Rose colors have different meanings, and if you want to nail the perfect bouquet, you'll want to make sure the colors correspond with the message you're trying to send. Here's what to know.

From red, to white, to yellow, Ashby explains we all have personal associations with certain colors, but when it comes to roses, their meanings have been somewhat standardized for the purpose of gifting.

Red roses are easily the most common rose color for gifting, with a strong reputation for reprenting love and passion. As Ashby explains, these are the roses you give on dates or anniversaries, signifying physical passion, depth, desire, and warmth.

We associate orange with confidence, energy, creativity, and accomplishment, so this is a great rose color to go for if you're celebrating someone's success, or want to congratulate them in a way that doesn't indicate romantic feelings.

Along with friendship, she adds, yellow roses can represent excitement and joy, as well as intellectual achievements. "Yellow is the solar plexus, and it has a connection to achievement in the world and relates to the mental plane," she notes. Perhaps your friend graduating from their Ph.D. program could use a yellow bouquet of roses, eh?

Ashby tells mindbodygreen that these lovely roses are a great option for a rose bouquet that's not so "in your face," but still evokes feelings of connection and appreciation for nature.

When it comes to roses, however, she notes that blue roses represent mystery, intrigue, or something you can't have—because, of course, blue roses are unusual and not naturally occurring.

That said, light purple can also be used to represent a crush, or even love at first sight. These are the flowers you give to someone you're crushing on but haven't gotten to know quite yet.

As Ashby tells mindbodygreen, where red roses represent passion, pink roses are more friendly, or even familial. We associate pink with kindness, versatility, and femininity, Ashby notes, so these might be flowers you give to new parents, for instance.

However, she adds, white roses can also represent loneliness, or even an icy heart. On the more positive end, their connections with purity also relate to trust, loyalty, and also remembrance. As such, they're often used at many occasions, from weddings to funerals.

These roses are associated with sophistication, as well as mourning, and are often used as decor. "At a 1920s speakeasy or a goth-type celebration you might have lavender roses and black tulips together, for example," Ashby says.

You might find rainbow roses, combinations of white and pink, purple and blue, and more. Rainbows are associated with happiness and joy, as well as the LGBTQIA+ movement in more recent years, and in terms of other color combinations, you can look to the aforementioned meanings of different rose colors and put them together.

A bouquet of roses makes a great gift for so many different occasions, and while most people will be happy with any color you opt for, choosing a color for its specific meaning elevates your bouquet from a nice gesture, to an even more thoughtful one.