Single Yellow Rose

A single yellow rose can convey the perfect meaning. It can provide a message that mere words alone cannot express. Giving a single rose can signify “love at first sight” for a first date. Years down the road a single rose says “I still love you.” Roses have been a source of inspiration throughout history, so much so that a language of roses has developed over time, with special meanings assigned to the different colors and numbers of roses given.                                                     

Rose Tidbits

The rose, with its extraordinary beauty and revered history, was considered sacred in ancient times. The rose represented Venus to the Romans and Aphrodite to the Greeks, symbolizing love and beauty. According to legend, Roman Emperor Nero would release a deluge of fresh rose petals upon his guests. The shower of petals was said to be so thick as to nearly suffocate some guests. The wealthy would add rose petals and rose oil to their baths, and it was not uncommon for noblewomen to carry bouquets of fragrant flowers to mask body odors.

Specific meanings portrayed by the color, mixture of colors and number of roses sent first came about as a floral language during Victorian times in Europe. The Victorians had harsh restrictions and rules about appropriate social interactions. It is understandable that such a society would perfect the art of silent symbolism as a means of communicating important feelings.

Today, 85 percent of Americans name the rose as their favorite flower and 60 percent of roses grown in the United States are cultivated in California. There are 150 million rose plants purchased worldwide by gardeners each year. The medicinal value and healing powers of rose oil has been touted for centuries.

Yellow Roses

A single yellow rose given to your significant other sends a message of ongoing love and devotion. Giving a single yellow rose to a friend says “we’ll be friends forever.” The cheerful vibrancy of yellow roses in itself is enough to evoke feelings of warmth and happiness in the recipient. In Victorian times though, yellow roses were a symbol of jealousy or dying love. Today, the yellow rose can symbolize a number of things.

• Friendship – Yellow roses are a traditional symbol of friendship and caring. They are ideal for expressing platonic love between close friends. Yellow roses can send a message of appreciation for the other person without romantic undertones; although yellow roses tipped with red symbolize friends falling in love.
• Joy and Celebration – A bouquet of yellow roses can be given on joyous occasions such as birthdays or be sent as congratulations in celebration of an accomplishment such as a graduation.
• New Beginnings – The yellow rose is also a symbol of new beginnings. It is perfect for sending a message of affection and gladness to newlyweds or a new mother.
• Marital Bliss – Within a marriage yellow roses can send a message of contentment and unwavering affection. A single yellow rose can be a symbol for comfortable and familiar love.
• Thank You or Get Well – A bright sunny arrangement of yellow roses is a great way to express gratitude or send well wishes to a friend or loved one who is sick at home or stuck in the hospital.

Although the single yellow rose is typically a symbol of friendship, yellow roses offer an excellent way to brighten anyone’s day.

Rose History

Fossils indicate the rose may have been around since prehistoric times, and some 5,000 years ago the Chinese probably began cultivating roses. The exact origin of the rose is not known and its evolution is a matter of speculation. Many changes in the rose have occurred naturally and as a result of artificial hybridization through the centuries.

Yellow roses were found to be growing naturally in parts of the Middle East in the 18^thcentury. They were not as plentiful as pink or red roses, but they gradually grew to be nearly as popular as the red rose. Roses were grown to a large extent in the Middle East during Roman times and were used for a variety of purposes.

• Gifts
• Confetti at celebrations
• Medicinal purposes
• Source of perfumed wine

Starting in the 16^thcentury, particularly in Holland, top quality roses were chosen and bred to form new and improved rose varieties. Roses enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 18^thand 19^thcenturies, generating some of the classic rose varieties still enjoyed today. Modern roses of the 21^stcentury have evolved as society dictated a need for higher floral quality, winter hardiness and better resistance to pests and disease, which in turn also led to the development of the modern shrub varieties.

Express Yourself

A single yellow rose is a meaningful gift for a tried and true friend. It can express those innermost thoughts that are not always easy to put into words. No matter the occasion, no matter the recipient, yellow roses are sure to leave a smile.