The Meaning of Roses
With such a wide selection, it is no wonder that roses are the most popular flowers to give as gifts, both in bouquets and as solitary flowers. It is curious, however, that so few people know about the complex history and meaning of roses. The oldest fossilized remains of roses date to 35 million years ago, and they are featured in the early artwork of Greeks, Romans, Persians, Asians, Indians, and Egyptians. It is said that Nebuchadnezzar included roses in his famous Hanging Gardens and Cleopatra strew rose petals at the feet of her love, Marc Antonius. Peoples of the Middle East valued roses for their beauty and their scent, which they sought to capture and make into extravagant perfumes. The Romans associated the rose with Venus, their goddess of love. Later Catholics appropriated the rose as the symbol for the Virgin Mary, who became the rosa mystica. Governments incorporated roses into their national emblems and even made them symbols of war. The Victorian Era refined the meaning of roses even more, as lovesick suitors used the language of flowers to communicate secret messages to their beloveds. More...The Wonderful Things Real Local Retail Florists DO!
I came to the fascinating world of flowers as an outsider -as a writer and a gardener who was curious about where her flowers came from. That curiosity led me to visit an open house at a flower farm (Sun Valley Floral Farm in Arcata, CA) and from there I was hooked. I knew that I wasn't the only one who had bought flowers dozens of times without ever thinking about the greenhouses, laboratories, warehouses, and flower shops that all fit together, like some kind of intricate puzzle, to deliver my bouquet to me. I thought, if I could follow the journey that flowers take around the world, I could inspire other people to have a richer appreciation for the tulips on their kitchen table or the roses on their desk at Valentine's Day. More...More WINNETKA, IL Newsletters