What is The Meaning of Blue Roses?

Are you curious about what is the meaning of a blue rose? Stick around as we share the answer…

Throughout human history, flowers have played a huge part in human connection. Whether as a single stem or a bouquet, these blossoms carry with them thousands of meanings.

From contrition, remembrance, love, and many more, a plethora of emotions has long been attached to each flower as dictated by its history, color, and beauty.

If you’re planning to give flowers to the person you love, you’re probably looking through a list of the best flowers to signify love and affection.

Sure, while there may be a long and impressive list of possible options under this category, such as the classic red rose or humble tulips, trying out blue roses for a change might be a lucky bet.

Below, we have prepared a brief guide as to why exactly you should choose this flower over the others and what meanings you could extract from it.

Read on…

About Blue Roses

“Blue rose” – hearing the word, the first question that may come to mind is: “Does it exist?”

Blue roses do not exist in the physical world. In fact, the idea of finding a rose that is covered in blue is nothing but a product of a wishful, imaginative mind.

Primarily, its absence is due to the fact that “delphinidin,” the pigment that makes flowers blue, is not present in roses; thus, making its existence unattainable.

Yet, despite the impossibility, the image of blue roses has always been present in literature and art, such in Arabian Nights and A Song of Fire and Ice.

In Chinese folklore, in particular, the rose has been used to signify honesty and the ability to attain even the impossible.

In the story, an emperor’s daughter was to be married. To find the perfect candidate, the daughter asked that she marry the man who could bring her a blue rose. Almost every suitor came and tried to accomplish the request.

One painted a rose blue, the other carved a rose out of a sapphire, and another tried to work with a wizard to craft an illusory blue-colored rose. In the end, no one accomplished the request.

Later that night, the princess told the gardener’s son that she wished to marry him. The next morning, the man came and presented a white rose. The princess accepted the gift and said, “This is a blue rose.”

Of course aside from myths and legends, historical accounts have suggested the presence of blue roses. In one source, for instance, Ibn el-Awam, an Arabian botanist from the 13^th century, listed the blue rose among the types present in his garden.

To date, the rose has never been found and modern scholars believe that el-Awam might have just mistaken another plant for a blue rose.

However, today, this deep longing for the unnatural has finally been put to rest thanks to genetic engineering. Specifically, the first initiative was conducted in 1990 when Australian company Florigene, through the support of Japanese company Suntory, was able to successfully extract the blue genes in flowers using carnations.

From there, Florigene continued the quest, and, more than a decade later, the first genetically modified blue rose was introduced to the waiting world in 2004.

Blue Rose Meaning

Naturally, due to their rarity and absence in the natural world, blue roses are currently perceived to symbolize unfulfilled longing. When given to the one you love, they signify secret or unattainable love.

Since the quest to find them took hundreds of years, they are perceived as special and sometimes as a representation of “accomplishing the impossible.”

To date, blue roses come in varying shades – with some in dark tones and others in lighter ones.

Specifically, dark blue roses are typically linked to the mysterious and the unknown. Since artists from the impressionist era, such as Monet and VanGogh, used deeper shades of blue in their art, dark blue roses have also emerged as the perfect gift for artists as they seem to encapsulate the right dose of mystery and imagination sure to inspire poets and painters.

On the other hand, lighter shades of blue roses are used to connote calmness and peace of mind. In some cases, they are also used to represent friendship and hope amid difficult times.

The Bottom Line

https://youtu.be/1bi89Hm1bPU

Captivated by the history of blue roses and the meanings attached to them? Signifying the unattainable, yet also representing the possibility of conquering the impossible, blue roses are no doubt one of the most peculiar yet interesting flowers to give to the one you love.