Roses For Romance
The rose is possibly one of the most ancient flowers to be found in existence. Cultivated for centuries, modern science show us that this famous fleur is likely to have originated somewhere in central Asia. However the mythology of their creation is a far more romantic tale to tell your loved one this Valentine’s day.
100 Red Roses – £149.99
The Story of Aphrodite
In Western culture, the significance of the red rose dates back to Greek mythology and the belief that the red rose was created by Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. Legend has it that the flower grew from the ground watered with Aphrodite’s tears and the blood of her ill-fated lover Adonis.
Opulent Red Roses £54.99
The Story of Venus’s Son Cupid
In Roman mythology there is another myth recounting the story of how roses were created. Cupid, the son of Venus, was stung by a bee when shooting arrows into a garden of flowers. From the arrow, the flowers grew their thorns and later when Venus was walking in the garden, she pricked her foot one of the thorns left by her son. Her blood turned the flowers red and this is how the Rose was created. Such mythology caused the Ancient Roman to crown themselves with roses when newly wed. This act received the name Rosa gallica, which is a still known to this day.
Honeycomb Roses £34.99
The Story of Cleopatra
Cleopatra was a fancier of roses and it is said she used them to try and seduce Mark Anthony. Reportedly she had her fountain filled with rose water and her chamber filled with two feet of rose petals in an attempt to win his affection.
The Rose has indeed seduce all major western and eastern civilizations of the last millennia. From the Greeks to Confucius, who wrote about beautiful rose gardens that captivated him in China. Shakespeare would later write “Of all flowers, methinks rose is best”. So if you are sending flowers this valentines day, there really is no more symbolic flower than the rose.
