Not just red: Roses of many colors for the discerning hero

Your hero just told his leading lady that he thought her best friend was hotter than she was.
Or maybe he taped over their wedding video.
Or he lost the joust that he was supposed to win, in order to win her kiss, and she had to smooch some smelly, overweight jock-jerk.

Now it's time to apologize.  What does he do?  He brings her flowers.  And, being guys, "flowers" mean "roses."

But what if your heroine doesn't like red roses?  What if he's not far enough into the relationship to be comfortable offering her red roses?  What if the guy has commitment issues, and has a minor phobia of red roses?

Great news: Roses come in a million colors.  Every color, in fact, except for black and blue.  So here's some rose colors you can use if your hero isn't up with traditional red.


Pink rose: admiration, symbolizes sweetness and elegance













Yellow rose: Joy, happiness, friendship

'Sweetness' roses are some of my favorites.



White: Innocence and purity (when mixed with red, "pure and lasting love")

Orange: Passion, desire, enthusiasm

High & Magic Roses

Bicolor roses: My personal favorite, roses with two colors


There's also purple and green roses:

Purple roses: Enchantment, love at first sight



Green Roses: Rejuvination, energy, self-respect and well-being

Want more colors?  Check out one of my favorite sites: The Elite Flower, a flower wholesaler with tons of great pictures of the varieties they offer.  (I'll admit to wasting a few hours just browsing the flower colors...)



Or, if you'd like a flower beside a rose, try a website which offers premade flower arrangements.  Lilies, calla lilies, and orchids are nice higher-end flowers; gerbera daisies and sunflowers are also popular choices for gift flowers.   Accompany your main flower (or "focal flower") with baby's breath, wax flower, or statice ("filler flowers") to accent them, and throw in a little greenery.  You can also throw in other accent flowers, like delphinium, liatris, or hydrangea.



Note that carnations, unless they are your heroine's favorite flower, aren't really a great choice for a relationship: they're more often a gift for a family member or used as an accent in a bouquet of other flowers.

What's your favorite flower?  What's your favorite rose color?

(*edited 9/24/12; now all photos posted are my own. Permission granted to use photos as long as link is provided back to blog, or credit given for non-web uses. :)