With Valentines day just around the corner, what do you instinctively think of? Cards, chocolates, love letters, fine dining, champagne, presents? For me, the first thing that pops into my mind are roses, specifically red ones! There’s something inside of me that associates the humble red rose with love, luxury, romance and eloquence. Perhaps it’s that childhood poem, ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and I love you’?, or perhaps the symbolism has been around for much longer than we anticipate…
These beautiful and fragrant blooms, often seen in English country gardens come in varying shades of red, some say carrying different symbolic reading. For example, historically a single red rose showed love, a dozen shows gratitude, twenty-five shows congratulations and fifty show unconditional love… and the giving and receiving of roses is not a new thing. The symbolism associated with the red rose dates long back to Greek and Roman iconography, where roses were associated with, and tied to images of, Aphrodite and Venus – the goddesses of love.
In the western world, nothing appears more classically romantic than a bouquet of red roses. We read about them in poems and classical literature, see them painted in classical and modern artwork, and we witness their giving and receiving in films and television. Renowned Scottish poet, Robert Burns, compared his love to a red rose in his famous works.
There’s something special about receiving a red rose – a simple gesture telling a thousand words. The sweet smell, the rich, deep red colour, the air of romance and love. This Valentines day you can give just that. This month, I’ve teamed together with Prestige Flowers to present their L’amour bouquet; a grand statement floral arrangement of Grand Prix roses, hypericum, thlaspi, golden orbits and their unique and very special double flowering ‘Roselilies’, which I’d never seen before!
The flowers add a beautiful pop of colour and warmth to the home on these grey and dreary winter days and are sure to receive many a compliment as they decorate your home as a reminder that love lives here.
This blog post was written in collaboration with Prestige Flowers – this year’s not-so-secret Valentine’s admirers. All images and opinions are my own.
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