The Rose is
June's Birth Flower
Everyone knows that they have a specific
birthstone that is placed in jewelry and trinkets to signify the
month they were born in. However, many people don't know that
just like the stones, each month has a flower or two as well,
which symbolizes birth. Here is the history and meaning behind
your birth flower.
June: Rose
Alternate: Honeysuckle
One of the most popular flowers, the rose, is
also the flower for those born in June. It is a flowering shrub
with more than 100 species that bloom in different sizes and
colors, and all of which have different meanings. The most
common colors are red, pink, yellow and white, however you can
find them in various other colors as well including orange,
peach, purple and black.
All species of the Rosa come from the
northern hemisphere, and normally form as shrubs or bushes with
flowers. There are however some that are considered trailing
plants or climbers that will grow up walls and over other
plants.
The flowers of all species have five petals
with the exception of one species, the Rosa sericea which
only has four. Most roses contain hook shaped thorns which are
there to aid the plant in hanging over other plants as it grows.
The rose is a beloved flower for its beauty
and fragrance with a long history of symbolism and meaning. The
ancient Greeks and Romans associated the roses with their
goddesses of love Aphrodite and Venus which is probably what has
led to the red rose being considered the rose of love in today's
modern culture. In Rome a wild rose would also be placed on the
doorstep of a room where confidential matters were being
discussed, telling others not to enter.
In early Christianity, the five petals are
linked to the five wounds of Christ, however the leaders were
hesitant to adopt this theory. Instead the red rose was adopted
as the symbol of the red blood shed by the Christian martyrs,
and later it because associated with the Virgin Mary.
Color Meanings:
Red:
love
- Pink: grace, lesser feelings of love
- Dark Pink: gratitude
- Light Pink: admiration, sympathy
- White: innocence, purity, secrecy, friendship,
reverence and humility.
- Yellow: Yellow roses generally mean dying love or
platonic love. In German-speaking countries, however, they can
mean jealousy and infidelity.
- Yellow with red tips: Friendship, falling in love
- Orange: passion
- Burgundy: beauty
- Blue: mystery
- Green: calm
- Black: slavish devotion (as a true black rose is
impossible to produce)
- Purple: protection (paternal/maternal love)
Fun and interesting fact: The rose is
the national flower of both England and the United States, and
the state flower of several U.S. states including Iowa, North
Dakota, Georgia, New York and Texas. Portland, Oregon holds an
annual rose festival to celebrate the rose, and in Southern
California there is an annual Rose Parade consisting of floats
designed with hundreds of thousands of roses for decorations.