Were you given blue roses and you want to know the meaning of this gift? Are you wondering how we obtain this special shade?
I will answer your questions.
As a florist, I am increasingly asked by my clients to create original compositions, particularly with blue roses. Whether fresh-tinted roses or eternal roses, these creations often have a strong symbolic value.
In addition, the unusual color of the roses arouses astonishment. Also, today I am going to explain to you the meaning of the blue rose and how it is made so that you are knowledgeable on the subject!
The enigmatic color of the blue rose gives it a powerful symbolism: it thus evokes mystery, the impossible. If you choose to offer it, it means to you that the recipient of this gift is someone exceptional. In stories and works of fiction, it is always associated with romance and true love. There are several ways to obtain a blue rose: through a process of genetic modification in a scientific laboratory, but also by coloring a white rose with methylene blue. You can also try this technique directly at home… If you want a blue rose that will last for years, there are magnificent eternal roses and rose bears in this color.
Do you want to know more? Read this article to know:
- The meaning of the blue rose
- The particular works in which this flower is cited
- Details of the processes used to create the blue rose
- The difference between tinted fresh rose and blue eternal rose
What is the hidden meaning associated with the blue roses?
Considered for centuries as the queen of flowers, the Rose is a fascinating flower.
Muse of artists, she is an inexhaustible source of creative inspiration for many artists.
Today we know thousands of varieties of roses, and that’s not the end, because rose growers create new ones every year, even more astonishing.
Among these flowers, a rose is particularly talked about. This is the Blue Rose: this shade surprises many people, who wonder how to get it and what it means.
Giving a blue rose is, in fact, a gift that does not go unnoticed. But do you know the message behind this very special flower?
What is the meaning linked to this color?
Blue roses are linked to mystery, the impossible, and the unattainable. In the language of flowers, giving a blue rose to someone means telling that person that they are extraordinary and unique in our eyes. These flowers are especially a perfect gift for a strong and independent woman.
Several types of floral gifts can be considered:
- A unique blue rose: Its symbolic value is highlighted.
- A bouquet of blue roses: without any other flowers. In this case, it is a sumptuous gift, which we will send to someone we care about, to convey a strong message.
- A bouquet of blue roses combined with other flowers:
- White Callas:
These will contrast magnificently with the shade of the roses and will add a dimension of purity and grandeur to the meaning of your gift. - Deep purple callas (Midnight Plum shade, for example), to give depth to your floral arrangement.
These flowers will add intensity to your floral arrangement. - A floral jewelry with a rose or any other blue flower.
- White Callas:
The blue rose in popular culture
A symbol of mystery, this flower with its surprising color has inspired numerous works of fiction. In the following lines, I will reveal some of them…
In tales and legends
A Chinese tale tells that a princess, who did not wish to marry, one day told her father that she would accept as her husband the man who gave her a blue rose.
Very quickly, the news went around the country and suitors came running to try to marry the princess.
Three of them were particularly noted: the first dyed a white rose into a blue rose with ink, while the second offered him a finely cut sapphire in the shape of a rose. Finally, the third offered him the painting of a blue rose. Dissatisfied, the young woman rejects all three of them.
One day, a poet came to sing for the princess, who fell madly in love with him. Unfortunately, she could not marry him because of the condition she had given before.
But one day, this young man came to the palace with a cream-colored rose. Everyone thought he was making fun but the young girl immediately agreed to marry him! Indeed, she and the young man, through the power of their love, saw the rose as blue as the sea.
Very popular in China, this tale tells us a romantic story, which makes the blue rose the symbol of true and pure love.
In the books and the series Game of Thrones
This series of novels, adapted in recent years into a television series, has enjoyed immense success.
The story takes place in a medieval fantasy universe, where blue roses actually exist. They are called winter roses and are said to be the color of frost.
In the novels and the series, this flower is linked to the very deep love that unites Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Winner of a tournament, he offers her a crown of blue roses. This causes a scandal because he is not married to this young woman, but to another, Elia Martell.
In this story, the winter rose represents the romanticism and sincerity of the love that unites the two characters. These fictions can serve as inspiration for you to offer an exceptional gift…
Do blue roses actually exist in nature?
Succeeding in creating a blue rose is a challenge that has driven rose growers for centuries.
Already, in the 15th century, we managed to create a bluish-green rose, with a variety from China. But it was not until 2004, less than twenty years ago, that the Florigene-Suntory group laboratory managed to create real blue roses.
These scientists used a gene from another flower, which is blue, Delphinium.
They thus created a blue rose, which is a genetically modified organism and which therefore could not have existed without human intervention.
How do you get blue roses?
The genetically modified rose that I just mentioned is very difficult to obtain.
However, you can have blue roses in your home quite easily. You can try making them yourself or buy fresh tinted roses or a blue eternal rose.
To help you make your choice, I will detail in this last part the different solutions available to you to have a magnificent rose the color of the ocean.
How to make a blue rose at home?
To do this, simply buy white roses and color the water in the vase with a few drops of a dye that you can get at the pharmacy: methylene blue. The more concentrated the dose of dye in the water, the darker the color of your roses will be.
Before placing the roses in the vase, to promote absorption of the methylene blue, remember to cut the stems at an angle of approximately one or two centimeters.
If possible, cut the stems with a clean, sharp knife, directly under water. This will prevent air bubbles from forming in the flower stem: as the dye is absorbed by capillary action, this will facilitate the process.
The shorter the rose stems are cut, the faster the dye will be absorbed.
What is the process used to make the blue roses that we buy?
If you are not satisfied with the result of the process explained above or if you do not have the time to color your roses yourself, you can buy them directly from the store. Here are the solutions available to you.
The tinted fresh rose
It is generally found at florists. That said, I advise you to order it from your artisan a few days before because given that it is a fairly rare flower, it is not always in stock.
The blue dyeing of this rose is made by dipping: the white roses are immersed in methylene blue, which will give them their final color. These are therefore fresh natural roses, which can last a few days in a bouquet.
The dyeing process tends to shorten the lifespan of the rose. If you want a flower that can be kept for a long time, I advise you to go for an eternal rose.
The eternal blue rose
These flowers, called preserved, are a gift that can be kept for years.
Their exceptional preservation is explained by a chemical process: freeze-drying. We initially choose magnificent white roses, from which we will remove all the humidity by exposing them to extreme cold.
This treatment will freeze them: all you then need to do is add, in the laboratory, a natural stabilizer, glycerin. To obtain the blue tint, glycerin is mixed with blue dye.