February 18th 2012
Roses for Valentine
I was walking down rue Saint Antoine in the Marais district of Paris yesterday when I stumbled upon this flower shop that instantly took my breathe away.
It was the most beautiful sight of roses of arousing colours, creatively arranged in different bouquet styles or in vases of various shapes and sizes. I stood there, mesmerized, admiring every bit of it. I then dug my camera out of the bag and started shooting like crazy. Passers-by were looking at me but I didn’t care.
This little spot bedecked with roses is like a scene taken out of Paradise. Now I understand why this delicate flower is the symbol of love. The mere sight of one stirs the soul and if it is given by a loving partner - it touches the heart of the receiver.
For two people in love, it is still the all-time favorite romantic gift on Valentine’s Day.
Did you know that each colour of rose has several meanings and even the number given signifies something. Let’s find out.
Yellow roses indicate friendship and freedom so don’t send them if your intentions are romantic and long-lasting. It expresses joy and gladness, the best gift for new mothers, newlyweds or graduates.
A joy to behold, light pink roses express fun and happiness.
On a first date, a single rose symbolises love at first sight. It can also be given in years to come to say, “I still love you.”….A perfect dozen shouts “Be mine!” …..Two dozen roses shouts “I’m yours!” ….Three dozen says “I’m head over heels in love!”
A bunch of pink and white roses means enduring love.
Green roses represent a sense of calm and tranquility. Psychologists believe that it brings about a sense of balance, stability and peace to the mind. The color green itself also symbolizes richness, abundance, and bounty.
The heart-shaped bouquet, the different shades of pink and the many roses on it is the perfect gift for your lady love.
I must admit, I have always been a rosaphile. We used to live in a kind of “little house in the prairie” (it was sold years ago) where the garden was my center of existence. From the moment I woke up till it was too dark to see what I was doing, I would be puttering in the garden - planting cuttings, uprooting weeds, pruning the branches, training the branches to grow up the walls.
Yes, my rose plants were my pride! And they gave me a bounty of flowers that from Spring to Autumn, our home was like celebrating Valentine’s Day everyday.
Here are my stories:
Every 1st of May, France celebrates Fete du Muguet (Festival of the Lily of the Valley) and it’s a tradition to give a sprig of those tiny white flowers not only to your loved ones but also to a friend or a neighbour you feel very much close to. This is the muguet that a neighbour gave me that day and I thought combining it with two of my garden roses would make a simple but perfect bouquet.
My favorite among them all is this English Rose variety. Its pale pink colour connotes grace, gentleness, and gratitude. The scent is simply out of this world…..pure heaven!
This one looks very delicate, the petals are like silk…..
A crumpled petal variety, it’s just too perfect! Its salmon colour denotes enthusiasm, desire and excitement.
Nobody knows this little Rose –
It might a pilgrim be
Did I not take it from the ways
And lift it up to thee…..Emily Dickinson
Even if it’s the single petal, it’s just as lovely!
They call it the cabbage rose. The colour looks so good to eat!
The cluster, they give you as much as ten or fifteen roses in one stem!
If there is food for the gods, this could well be the flower of the deity!
I’m now at a loss for words….
This is just one plant and I had loads of them in my garden!
……believe it or not
When harvest time arrives, this is just a small portion of what I collect…
And they all have the scent of paradise…
To make them last longer, I cut them early enough and filled the house with rose arrangements like this.
But nothing is permanent in life. The property was sold and my garden is now history.
Now with my garden gone, I just content myself to having single rose displays at our new home. This one I salvaged from a bouquet of wilted others waylaid on the village park. I nurtured it with love and fresh water and in return, it gave me several days of rosey joy.
Roses are also great for practicing on creative photography. Hmmmm…. I think I’m slowly getting there….
