Rose is a rose is a rose or is it? Today's roses are so varied from simple five petalled varieties which look like the traditional English wild rose, through climbers, hybrid tea, miniature, musk roses and every year new varieties are developed and sold.
For me one of the greatest beauties of a rose is its scent - something I unfortunately can't recreate in my origami roses, though I suppose if you wished you could spray them with a rose perfume! I think we all know that sense of joy you have in summer when we suddenly breath in and catch that beautiful scent and realise that we are approaching a rose bed.
It's not surprising then that there is so much folklore and so many legends linked to the rose and as I've left it very late this month to do my blog about the flower of the month I'm not going to have time to even touch the surface of them. Instead I'm concentrating on the meaning of roses. The meaning depends on the colour and so you can say so much through your choice of rose colour.
Red roses mean Love, congratulations and courage
White roses are a traditional wedding flower and means innocence, humility and happy in love.
Pink roses mean "Thank you", gratitude, happiness and gentleness.
Yellow mean friendship, new beginnings and caring.
Orange, enthusiasm and fascination
Peach, let's meet, gratitude
Ivory or cream, thoughtfulness
So the next time you give roses - be careful what you are saying ....