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Red roses mean love, pink roses mean gratitude, white roses mean new beginnings and remembrance, and yellow roses mean friendship. That’s the short answer, but every colour of rose carries its own message, and the shade matters too. Here’s what each colour means and when to send it.
| Colour | Meaning | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Love, passion, desire | Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, partners |
| Pink | Gratitude, admiration, affection | Thank-yous, Mother’s Day, new romance |
| White | New beginnings, purity, remembrance | Weddings, christenings, sympathy |
| Yellow | Friendship, joy, good luck | Friends, birthdays, congratulations |
| Orange | Enthusiasm, fascination | A new crush, celebrations |
| Coral and peach | Desire, sincerity, thanks | Thank-yous, a budding romance |
| Purple and lavender | Enchantment, love at first sight | A first date, someone who loves something different |
| Green | Harmony, renewal | New jobs, new homes, recovery |
| Black (dark red, dyed) | Farewell, mystery | Gothic gifts, the end of something |
| Blue (dyed) | Mystery, the impossible | Fantasy lovers, something unexpected |
| Mixed | A mix of all the above | Anyone, any occasion |
The Rosa genus has somewhere between 100 and 300 species, depending on which botanist you ask, and many thousands of cultivars bred over centuries. They’re usually grouped into wild (species) roses, old garden roses and modern roses. For more on the different rose types, see our ultimate guide. This article focuses on what each colour says when you give it.
Roses are also the June birth flower, which makes them a natural birthday gift for anyone born in June.
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Red Roses: Love and Passion
Love, passion, adoration, desire, beauty, courage
Red roses are the most popular rose colour of all, especially on Valentine’s Day. They’re the universal symbol of romantic love: whether you send a dozen red roses or just one, a red rose says “I love you” like no other flower can.
The shade matters. A classic bright red rose is for someone you love truly, madly, deeply, while deeper burgundy roses suggest a love that’s still growing.
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Pink Roses: Gratitude and Admiration
Appreciation, gratitude, affection, admiration, grace
Pink roses say thank you. Where red roses are direct about passion, pink roses are gentler, showing admiration and affection without overwhelming the person who receives them.
Again, the shade matters: deep pink shows deep appreciation, while pale pink suggests gentleness and sympathy. Mid-pink roses suit almost anyone, from someone grieving to a simple thank you.
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White Roses: New Beginnings and Remembrance
Purity, innocence, respect, remembrance, new beginnings
After red roses, white roses carry the strongest meaning around the world. They appear at ceremonies of all kinds, from weddings and christenings to graduations, to celebrate new beginnings.
White roses also mean respect and remembrance, so they’re one of the most common flowers given after a death and in sympathy arrangements.
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Yellow Roses: Friendship and Joy
Joy, friendship, congratulations, good luck, goodwill
The brightest of the rose colours, yellow roses are ideal for cheering someone up or celebrating a friendship. Pair them with orange roses for a great best-friend bouquet. They also say “congratulations” and “good luck”.
In Victorian floriography, yellow roses once meant jealousy, but today they’re a cheerful, safe gift. The only catch: unless your partner loves yellow, you might avoid them for romantic occasions, or risk being friend-zoned.
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Orange Roses: Enthusiasm and Fascination
Enthusiasm, pride, fascination, curiosity
Not ready to declare your love to a new crush? Orange roses are the next best thing. They show curiosity, enthusiasm and fascination: romantic, but far less intense than red.
Their blend of red and yellow suits a budding romance or a close friendship, and they make a bright, celebratory gift for any achievement.
Coral, Peach and Green Roses
Coral roses
Coral roses sit between pink and orange and suggest desire and enthusiasm, a good choice for a new relationship.
Peach roses
Peach roses say thank you and sincerity, making them a softer alternative to pink.
Green roses
Green roses are rarer and stand for harmony and renewal, so they suit a new job, a new home or someone getting back on their feet.
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Purple Roses: Enchantment and Love at First Sight
Royalty, wonder, enchantment, love at first sight
Purple roses are a less common sight, and they’re linked with wonder, enchantment and royalty. Deep purple roses make someone feel truly special, while lavender and mauve roses are traditionally linked with love at first sight.
In the end, rose meanings are a guide, not a rule. If your partner thinks lavender roses are the most romantic gift there is, who are we to argue?
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Black Roses: Farewell and Mystery
Farewell, mystery, death, rebirth
You won’t find a truly black rose in nature. Most “black” roses are very dark red, purple or maroon varieties, and some are dyed to darken them further. They’re linked with farewells, endings and mystery, which makes them a dramatic gift for fans of the gothic.
If you want a long-lasting alternative, our preserved rose orb sets a single preserved rose on white pebbles inside a hanging glass orb. It needs no water and lasts at least a year.
Image by Guddanti from Pixabay
Blue Roses: Mystery and the Impossible
Mystery, impossibility, fantasy
Like black roses, blue roses don’t grow naturally, because roses lack the gene for blue pigment. The Australian company Florigene and Japan’s Suntory used genetic engineering to make a “blue” rose. The result, sold in Japan as ‘Applause’ from 2009, is mauve-blue rather than truly blue. Most blue roses you see for sale are dyed.
Blue roses stand for mystery and the impossible. In Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, a story is told of a blue rose on a mountaintop, surrounded by poisonous thorns, that grants eternal life to anyone who can reach it. Nobody dares, and “the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone…”. For more flowers on screen, see our movies with flowers in the title.
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Mixed Roses: A Message All Your Own
A mix of emotions and meanings
Why stick with one colour? Mixing rose colours in one bouquet lets you combine meanings, such as white and red for unity, or yellow and orange for friendship and celebration, and make the message personal.
What Does the Number of Roses Mean?
Florists use a few common conventions for how many roses to send:
One rose: love at first sight, or “you’re the one”. Try a single elegant rose.
12 roses: the classic dozen, which says “be mine”. See our 12 rose bouquet.
24 roses: “I’m yours” or “I think of you 24 hours a day”. See our 24 roses bouquet.
50 roses: unconditional love, often for big anniversaries. See our 50 Rose Grandeur.
Send Roses That Say It for You
Whatever you want to say, there’s a rose colour for it. Browse our roses, hand-made to order by our own florists, with same-day delivery when you order before the daily cut-off. Planning ahead for February? See our Valentine’s Day flowers and our guide to writing Valentine’s Day messages.