A Dozen Fast Facts
12 Romantic Facts About Roses
(adopted from Rose Kennedy, special to HGTV.com )
While
flowers are typically considered a loving and romantic gesture, roses are
definitely the flower of love. Hardly anyone can remember
the precise amount of the national debt, but at least 90 percent of women can
remember the last time they received flowers, and over half of those sent
would be roses.
Below
are a dozen fast facts about the most famous romantic flower:
1) Valentine’s
Day 2005 the floral industry produced approximately 180 million roses.
2) Of all
fresh roses purchased, 64% red, 11% pink, 10% mixed, 5% peach/salmon,
4% yellow, 3% are white, and 3% other.
3) 74% of
Roses are bought by men.
4) Of rose
purchases made by women, 32% sent to their mothers.
5) Of rose
purchases made by women, 24% sent to husband or significant other, 22% sent to
themselves, 16% to their daughters, and 14% to their friends.
6) For 20
years, Joe DiMaggio sent 6 red roses to the crypt of his deceased former
wife, Marilyn Monroe, three times a week.
7) Three to
five blooms are sacrificed in a rose bush to allow a single long stem rose to
grow.
8) Infatuation
is symbolized by 6 roses in a bouquet.
9) A
traditional one month anniversary gift for a couple celebrating their shared
love is 3 roses in a bouquet.
10) It takes
20-60 minutes to submerge whole droopy roses underwater (after trimming about
an inch from the stems) in the hopes of reviving them.
11) The
highest temperature roses should be displayed at is 80 degrees Fahrenheit,
lasting longest at a cooler temperature.
12) Greenaway's Language of Flowers was first
published in 1885, 122 years ago, specifying the following meanings:
a. Deep Red Roses “bashful
shame”
b. White
Roses “I am worthy of you”
c. Red
Rosebuds “Pure and lovely”
d. Yellow “Decrease of love” or
“jealousy”…today the yellow rose indicates friendship, joy, and caring.
Today, the red rose is a universal symbol of
passionate love.
