Rose Memorials Provide Significant Meaning

Throughout history and across cultures, roses have been important symbols and have carried significant meaning. They have been used to silently communicate messages of love, admiration, and friendship, among many other things. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Greek name) and Venus (Roman name).

Rose Memorials

Many people have a special connection with roses and choose to be memorialized with a rose bush or in a rose garden. This can be a beautiful event and a great time for family and friends to hold a service and reflect on a loved one. A rose memorial can be done multiple ways, a few of which we highlight below.

Scattering Ashes in a Rose Garden

If scattering ashes of a loved one in a rose garden is of interest, there are many ways you can do this. One of the most popular new ways is to use an urn designed to scatter, such as the Eco Scattering Urn. This unique urn has many benefits, including:

• All-natural biodegradable urn made entirely from bamboo
• Locking mechanism helps you securely transport the ashes in the urn
• Starting at $49, it’s an affordable option for many families
• Optional engraving with your loved one’s name, symbol and other information

When scattering in a rose garden, it’s important that all of a loved one’s ashes are not simply poured out on top of one or just a few rose bushes – a high concentration of ashes on top of any single plant can have negative effects on it.  Instead, simply scatter a portion around a bush or spread the ashes throughout an entire rose garden.

Grow a Rose Memorial with a Bio Urn

The Living Urn® is a popular new option that gives families the ability to easily grow a beautiful living memorial of a loved one. This patented bio urn and planting system comes with everything a family needs to grow a stunning rose memorial, including a special BioUrn® made from recycled plant materials with only heat and pressure, a unique soil additive called RootProtect®, a starter pack of mulch, and detailed planting instructions - all of which comes packaged in an attractive bamboo protective casing that can be engraved with information about your loved one along with a rose or other symbol of choice.

Many families grow a tree with The Living Urn®, however, growing a rose bush from the urn in a large pot or at a special location outdoors is growing in popularity. If this is of interest to you or a loved one, simply order The Living Urn without a tree and visit your local nursery to pick up a rose bush of choice. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions to plant the rose bush with The Living Urn® holding your loved one’s ashes. Also, some families will choose to separate ashes of a loved one into more than one Living Urn and grow multiple rose bush memorials, creating your own rose garden in honor of a loved one!

Water Burial with Roses

Water burials are becoming more and more common throughout the United States and involve scattering a loved one’s ashes in an ocean or lake. Many people will float a biodegradable urn out into the water, such as the Eco Water Urn, that dissolves and gracefully spreads a loved one’s ashes. With this, you can choose to also toss rose petals or cut roses into the water and have them float around the urn. This makes for a beautiful sight and a stunning memorial for a loved one.

Color of Roses and Their Meaning

As roses come in many different colors, the chart below highlights the most common meaning of each.

• Red - Love, purity and loveliness
• Burgundy -"You have an unconscious beauty"
• White - Purity, spiritual love
• Yellow - Joy, happiness, friendship. There is some indication that historically they represented decreased love and infidelity. Victorians used them to represent jealousy
• Coral - Desire
• Orange - Fascination
• Light Pink - Admiration
• Dark Pink - "Thank You"
• Lavender - Love at first sight
• Peach - Modesty

Fun Facts About Roses

• The word "rose” means red or pink in a number of languages, such as some of the Romance languages and Greek;

• In Rome, a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret - derived from this ancient Roman practice;

• The oldest living rose is thought to be approximately 1,000 years old. It flourishes on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany;

• A bouquet of mature blooms symbolizes gratitude;

• Two roses intertwined signify engagement and marriage;

• A fully opened rose with two buds in a bouquet implies a secret;

• It is the birth flower for June;

• It is the symbol of the 15^th wedding anniversary;

• It is the state flower of the following states: Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia;

• Roses were once used in place of money by the wealthy;

• The white rose is worn on Mother's Day for those whose mothers have passed away, while the red rose is worn on Mother's Day for those with mothers still alive; and

• Cleopatra met Marc Antony in a room that was filled knee deep in rose petals.