Roses have been used to convey messages and meaning for centuries. Different rose colors can signify different emotions or sentiments. When trying to say goodbye, the color of rose you choose is an important decision. Selecting the right color can help express the appropriate tone and meaning for your goodbye. In this article, we’ll explore what rose color means goodbye and how to pick the right hue.
Meaning of Different Rose Colors
Roses come in a rainbow of colors, and each shade can convey a different meaning. Here are some of the most common rose color meanings:
Red Roses
Red roses symbolize love, romance, beauty, courage and respect. They are the most popular Valentine’s Day roses. Red roses would not be the best choice when looking for a rose to signify goodbye.
Pink Roses
Pink roses convey gentleness, joy, happiness, gracefulness and sweetness. They can also signify admiration. Light pink roses are sometimes given as an expression of sympathy. Pink roses would not likely be given when saying goodbye.
Lavender Roses
Lavender roses indicate enchantment and splendor. They are thought to represent love at first sight. Lavender roses would not traditionally be given as a goodbye rose.
Orange Roses
Orange roses signify passion and enthusiasm. They can express fiery emotions like romance or fervor. Orange roses do not have an association with goodbye.
Yellow Roses
Yellow roses represent joy, warmth and welcome. They are also a symbol for friendship. With their bright, cheerful color, yellow roses would not be the typical choice for a farewell.
White Roses
White roses convey purity, innocence and loyalty. They can also express respect, humility and reverence. White roses sometimes serve as symbols of new beginnings and everlasting love. Due to their meaning, they would not commonly be used to mean goodbye.
Peach Roses
Peach roses convey sincerity, gratitude and appreciation. They can be used to express modesty and innocence as well. These warm tones would not traditionally signify a goodbye.
Blue Roses
Natural blue roses are extremely rare. They can symbolize prosperity, accomplishment and uniqueness. Blue roses do not have an intrinsic meaning associated with goodbye.
Black Roses for Saying Goodbye
Unlike the above colors, black roses have a very strong association with farewells and endings. Black roses signify goodbye, loss and mortality. They represent the closing of one chapter in life and the beginning of the next.
When someone has passed away, black roses may be sent or used at memorial services as a sign of mourning and loss. They can express grief, sorrow and bereavement.
Black roses can also signal the end of a relationship. Offering a single black rose or a black rose bouquet shows that a romance has run its course. The black rose serves as a final goodbye. This is often seen when relationships end badly.
Meaning of Black Roses in Other Cultures
While black roses in Western culture represent loss and endings, they can have additional symbolic meanings in other cultures:
- In some Eastern cultures, black roses represent rebirth after death. They are seen optimistically as symbols of renewal.
- In Arabic and Asian cultures, black roses indicate the mysterious and unexplained. They are seen as very allegorical flowers.
- In some pagan stories, black roses were associated with witchcraft and black magic.
So in non-Western contexts, black roses do not always equate solely to loss or mortality. Their significances can vary across cultures.
How to Select Black Roses for Saying Goodbye
If you want to give black roses as a goodbye sentiment, here are some tips:
Purchase Completely Black Roses
Opt for roses that are truly black, not just dark red or purple. The complete blackness will make the goodbye message clear. Some rose growers use special fertilizers to produce black roses.
Single Long-Stemmed Rose
Gifting a single black rose can send a very symbolic message of farewell. One rose indicates the relationship or chapter is completely finished.
Choose a Small Bouquet
For a slightly less dramatic goodbye, a small bouquet of 6-12 black roses can work beautifully. This allows you to have impact while retaining some subtlety.
Add Greenery
Surrounding black roses with greenery like ferns can dial down the severity slightly. This provides a bit of softness while still retaining the essence of goodbye.
Consider Thorns
Most black roses will have thorns. If you want to downplay the painful or negative side of goodbye, you can ask your florist to remove the thorns.
Include a Note
Write a short note or poem to accompany black roses to convey your exact sentiments of loss or goodbye. This will eliminate any confusion about the meaning behind the roses’ somber color.
Timing and Delivery Method
For the most impact, have black roses delivered at a significant time, not just a random day. And for a more personal touch, hand deliver them instead of just having them show up on the doorstep.
Other Flower Options for Saying Goodbye
While black roses have the strongest association with goodbye, there are some other flower options you can use:
Chrysanthemums
White chrysanthemums are common funeral flowers. They symbolize grief, loss and lamentation.
Carnations
Certain colored carnations indicate goodbye. Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red communicate heartache and affection. White carnations express remembrance.
Lilies
White lilies are one of the most traditional funeral or sympathy flowers. They convey that the soul of the deceased has been restored to innocence.
Gladioli
Gladioli indicate sincerity, strength of character, faithfulness and honor. Their spiky form evokes memories both positive and challenging.
Orchids
White or purple orchids represent respect, dignity, nobility and remembrance. These exotic flowers impart an air of solemnity.
| Flower | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chrysanthemums | White | Grief, loss, lamentation |
| Carnations | Light red, dark red, white | Admiration, heartache, affection, remembrance |
| Lilies | White | Innocence, restored soul |
| Gladioli | Various | Sincerity, strength, faithfulness, honor |
| Orchids | White, purple | Respect, dignity, nobility, remembrance |
Combining Flowers for a Goodbye Bouquet
When creating a bouquet to signify goodbye, you can combine roses with some of the flowers above to create a beautiful and symbolic arrangement.
Some classic pairings include:
- Black roses mixed with white lilies
- Black and red roses combined with white chrysanthemums
- Black roses surrounded by purple orchids and greenery
- A dozen black roses with a few red carnations tucked in
Feel free to get creative and tailor your floral goodbye message. Add greenery like ferns or eucalyptus to soften the arrangement as needed. Your florist can help craft the perfect parting bouquet.
The History and Meaning of Black Roses
Now that we’ve covered how black roses can signify farewell, let’s explore some background on where their dark meaning comes from:
Black Roses are Rare and Mystical
Roses do not naturally occur in the true black hue. Through selective breeding and dyeing, growers have produced dark burgundy and black roses over time. But the concept of a rare black rose originated centuries ago.
Due to their elusive nature, in mythology and folklore black roses came to be associated with mystery, otherworldliness and even evil. Their rarity added to the mysticism surrounding them.
Black Roses as Symbols of Death
In the language of flowers, black has historically been synonymous with death and mourning. It evokes images of funerals, graves and solemn ceremonies.
So when black roses emerged, they adopted these same associations with mortality and darkness. Their shadowy shades represented the end of life.
The Color Black in Western Culture
Across literature, film and art in Western societies, the color black took on many negative connotations. It became linked with evil, menace, the macabre and the diabolical.
When people started using roses to express emotions, the black roses naturally absorbed those same sinister implications in the Western mindset.
Using Contrasting Roses
The primary roses used for conveying positive meanings, love and happiness were red and pink varieties. Against these cheerful hues, the black roses stood out as the antithesis – representing all things morbid.
Black Roses as Forbidden Love Symbols
In some Victorian lore, black roses were said to be created by witches as symbols of illicit passion. So black roses developed an edgy and taboo reputation.
Conclusion
When deciding on a rose color to say goodbye, black roses are the clear choice. Their unique shade speaks to loss, endings, mortality and the closing of one life chapter before starting another. To send a heartfelt and stylish farewell message, gift black roses or combine them with other blooms into a carefully crafted bouquet. Whatever your specific emotions may be, black roses will convey a poignant sense of goodbye.