85 Facts About Roses That Will Amaze You

Last Updated on June 29, 2023

Roses are beautiful, but how much do you really know about them?

Here are 85 fun trivia and scientific facts about roses to get you started. 

*This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of the products I have recommended, I may receive a commission at no cost to you.

Roses aren’t just beautiful flowers to look at. They also have a rich history and many interesting facts about them. 

For example, do you know that 

• the rose is the favorite flower of 85% of Americans?
• the rose is the national flower of 10 countries in the world, including the United States?
• the rose went to space, and not only once, but twice?

Keep reading to discover 85 more fun and interesting facts about roses!

Rosa rugosa – a prolific rose hip producer. (offered by Nature Hills)

Top fun facts about roses for kids and adults

1. Roses are in the same family as apples and crab apples (the rose family – Rosaceae).

2. A rose produces a fruit – a  rose hip that resembles a crabapple. Rose hips are packed with vitamin C and can be dried to create a refreshing tea. People also use rose hips for making jam, marmalade, and fruit juice.

3. Rosa canina and Rosa rugosa produce the best tasting hips.

4. Both rose hips and rose petals are edible (if grown organically).

5. Rose flowers’ size ranges from tiny miniatures less than 0.5 inch in diameter to hybrid flowers measuring up to 33 inches in diameter.

6. Rose petals from Damask rose – Rosa damascena are used for making jam and jelly, as well as for producing rose oil.

7. Damask roses are considered some of the most ancient roses originating in Biblical times. They are also the most fragrant rose type. 

8. The rose petals for rose oil production are gathered before sunrise as they are the most fragrant at this time.

9. The process of extracting rose oil from flowers requires a lot of roses: two thousand flowers needed to produce just 1 gram of rose oil.

10. In 1478 merchants actually traded rose oil for equal weight in gold.

11. Bulgaria is the biggest rose oil producer. Rose Valley in Bulgaria accounts for 85% of the world’s rose oil.

12. Rose water is a by-product of rose oil making. It’s used in cosmetics, medicine and cooking.

13. In the Middle East rose water is called rose syrup. The French are adding rose water to  desserts, meringue, marshmallows and drinks. 

14. Fresh cut roses can live for about a week in water.

15. The more fragrant the rose, the shorter it’s vase life.

16. Rose is the national symbol of the United States, England, Cyprus, Czech republic, Ecuador,  Iraq, Iran, Luxembourg, Maldives, and Slovakia.

17. Centifolia roses are known as Cabbage roses. Their blooms are closely packed with many thin, overlapping petals that resemble the head of a cabbage. They grow in Provence, France, that is why they are called Provence roses too.

18. 25 % of all roses sold in the U.S. come from Ecuador.

19. Roses are the traditional gift given on Valentines Day.

20. Roses smell different in space.

21. The miniature rose ‘Overnight Scentsation’ was the first rose that went to space on Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. After returning to earth its essential oil was used in “Zen” – a perfume created by Shiseido Cosmetics.

22. The second rose flew to space in 2007. Later, it was used on a float in the Rose Parade.

23. The Rose Parade is an annual tradition that dates back to 1890. It’s held in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day (but never on Sundays). The parade travels along a 5.5-mile route through Pasadena and features dozens of commercial, non-commercial, and self-built floats covered with  flowers, along with marching bands and equestrian units.

24. If you are born in June, the rose is your birth month flower.

25. June is also National Rose Month! 

Fruits of rose – rose hips.

Rose world records

26. The most expensive and rarest rose in the world is the apricot- hued Juliet rose. The rose breeder from England, David Austin, spent $5 million to create this rose over the course of 15 years. The Juliet rose sold for $15.8 million in 2006, making it the world’s most expensive rose cultivar.

27. The world record for the tallest rose bush was set on October 17, 2020 by Hafizullah Khaled in Vienna, Austria. He grew the rose bush 8.705 m (28.559 ft) tall. 

28. The world’s smallest rose is ‘Diamond rose’ grown by  Dr. Sudhir Khetawat in India. The diameter of its bloom is just one centimeter (0.39 inches).

29. The rose with the largest rose bloom in the world was created by California grower Nikita  Rulhoksoffsk.  Its bloom was 33 inches in diameter (84cm). This pink rose was exhibited at the local rose show, so it is not officially recorded in the World’s record book,

30. The world’s largest rose bush grows in Tombstone, Arizona. It is almost 200 years old. Its trunk is nearly 6 feet in diameter.

31. The oldest rose on the planet grows in Germany, near the walls of the cathedral in the old town of Hildesheim (Lower Saxony). The rose bush was planted in the distant 10th century. Despite its old age, the flower continues to bloom every year. Over the past centuries, it has grown so much that it is almost equal in height to the cathedral itself.

32. The ‘Victor Hugo’ deep red rose is considered the most beautiful rose in the world.

Read related: 70 fun facts about flowers   

Juliet rose – the most expensive rose in the world

Rose colors facts

33. There is no such thing as a black rose. What seems like a black rose actually can be deep red, crimson, purple or maroon. For example, the famous  ‘Black Rose of Turkey’, is actually very dark red.

34. To make a dark red rose appear blacker, its stem can be put in water that has black ink in it.

35. In 2004, Austrian and Japanese researchers were able to create a rose containing blue pigment through genetic modification. The company and press have described it as a blue rose, but it is lavender or pale mauve in color.

36. White roses aren’t white, but colorless – their petals do not have any color pigments. The air spaces interspersed within their petals’ tissue reflect back all the visible wavelengths of light causing the petals to appear white.

Centifolia is often called cabbage rose or Provence rose.

Rose facts and trivia for gardeners

37. An estimated 150 million rose plants are purchased by gardeners worldwide every year.

38. There are  over 150 species of roses and 35 thousand rose hybrids and cultivars

39. Wild roses have 5 petals, bloom once per year and are not extremely fragrant. 

40. Old Garden (also known as “antique”) roses are very fragrant. They only bloom once per season, but they are hardy and disease-resistant.

41. Modern roses were bred after 1867. They offer a continuous bloom and a larger bloom size. They also have a longer vase life. But modern roses typically lack a robust fragrance and are less hardy and disease-resistant.

42. David Austin from England breeds roses that feature the best characteristics of both Old  Garden and Modern roses. He is a creator  of the Juliet rose – the most expensive rose in the world

43. Grandiflora roses have the largest blooms They are also the tallest roses that can reach 6 to 8 feet tall. 

44. Floribunda roses are among the longest blooming roses. They can bloom continuously from early spring to late fall.

45. ‘Snowdrift’ is the hardiest rose you can grow.

46. The lifespan of a rose bush is usually about 15 years.

47. Climbing roses have stiff, upright canes.that can reach 15 feet.

48. Climbing roses produce more flowers when grown horizontally rather than vertically. 

49. The best low maintenance roses are groundcover roses (also known as landscape roses).

50. The high-maintenance roses are Hybrid Tea roses. They are known for their long, upright stems and large, well-formed, pointed blooms.

This dwarf rose is covered with pretty blooms from mid spring to the first hard freeze of fall. 

You can get it on Amazon.

Roses in US history trivia

51. George Washington, the first president of the United States, was also a rose breeder. George Washington hybridized a rose and named it after his mother, the ‘Mary Washington’ rose.

52. Some roses are named after American presidents:

• ‘Souvenir du President Lincoln’ Introduced by the Moreau-Robert Nursery of Angers, France in 1865.
• The ‘Ronald Reagan’ is a red hybrid tea rose named after the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. introduced in 1984 by Kordes®
• The ‘John F. Kennedy’ is a white blend hybrid tea rose named after the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. introduced in 1990 by Kordes®.

53. On November 20, 1986, President Ronald Reagan declared the rose the National Flower of the USA in a special ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. 

54. Roses also were designated as state flowers in New York, Washington D,C , Georgia (Cherokee Rose) Iowa (Wild Rose), North Dakota (Wild Prairie Rose).

State flower of Georgia – white Cherokee rose.

History of roses facts

55. Rose fossils date back as far as 35 million years. It was discovered in Colorado.

56. The rose most likely originated from Persia and was introduced to Europe by Alexander the Great. 

57. The cultivation of roses for ornamental reasons has been documented for over 5,000 years. There is evidence that the Chinese and Japanese created rose gardens in ancient times, as well as Romans and ancient Greeks.

58. Miniature roses were first developed in China.

59. One of the most famous rose gardens was planted by Empress Josephine at the Château de la Malmaison in France in 1804.

60. The first hybrid tea rose – Rosa ‘La France’ was created in France in 1867.

61. The largest private rose garden in the world is in Cavriglia, Italy. It is filled with over 7,500 different varieties of roses.

62. Rose is universally considered the most beautiful and most popular flower in the world.

63. The first patent was issued by the United States Patent Office for a plant in 1931. This patent was issued to Henry Bosenberg for the climbing rose ‘New Dawn’.

64. More than 54 percent of the land in Ecuador is filled with roses and over 80 percent of land in Zambia is used for rose cultivation.

Facts about roses in world history, mythology, religion

65. One of the oldest paintings in the world depicts a five-petaled pink rose.It’s found in a cave on the island of Crete and dates to about 1450 B.C.

66. There are over 4,000 songs dedicated to roses.

67. The Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, is often depicted with roses in her hair, around her neck or at her feet.

68. According to some stories, Aphrodite named her son Eros after the rose, though she rearranged the letters.

69. According to Egyptian legends, Cleopatra used roses and rose water to seduce the Roman general Mark Anthony.

70. In ancient India, any person who brought this beautiful flower to the ruler could ask for his wish to be granted.

71. In medieval times, anything that was discussed in a chamber with a rose suspended from the ceiling, was understood to be secret and was forbidden from being disclosed elsewhere. That is why the term “sub rosa” (under the rose) means “ in secret; privately”.

72. The “War of the Roses” was a series of English civil wars from 1455 to 1485. It was named after the symbols used by the feuding sides: a white rose for the House of Yorkshire (York), and a red rose for the House of Lancaster.

73. The traditional floral emblem of England – Tudor Rose (also called Union rose) – is a graphic design created by King Henry VII in 1485. It takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster.

74. Napoleon gave his officers bags of rose petals to boil in white wine to cure lead poisoning from bullet wounds.

75. In Catalonia, Spain, the 23rd of April is St. George day where people offer red roses to their partners as a symbol of love.

76. In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint produced a $5 silver coin featuring an unfurling rose. In 2016, Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo created a $3 silver coin design featuring two blooms of the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ rose. 

77. In Christianity, Jesus is referred to as the “Rose of Sharon”, Virgin Mary is often associated with roses, the Rosary praying beads mean “chain of roses” and the roses are prayers.

78. The rose is associated with the Heart Chakra (Anahata). Meditating on this centre can assist with rebalancing love, compassion and harmony towards oneself and others.

79. Some esoteric traditions believe that smelling a rose scent in the air with no apparent roses nearby, can signify the presence of angels or God. 

80. Barachiel the Archangel of Lightning and Blessings is associated with roses.

81. Rose is in the name of the Rosicrucian order and in the heart of the Rosy Cross – most well-known Rosicrucian’s symbols.  In Rosicrucian teaching the various folds of the rose petals represent the unfolding of consciousness as we progress on the spiritual path, and the thorns on the stem represent the difficulties on the path of human evolution.

82. A rose in Taro is a symbol of balance.

83. In aromatherapy, the smell of the rose has one of the highest vibration frequencies of all essential oils and its soothing scent can help alleviate stress, depression and anxiety.

Meaning of Rose Colors

84. A list of rose color meanings

• Red rose is a symbol of passion and love
• White rose – purity, innocence, spirituality
• Orange rose –  optimism, enthusiasm, excitement.
• Pink rose – elegance, grace, romantic mood, gratitude, peace.
• Yellow rose – sympathy, friendship, joy, wisdom

Spring Hills is the best place to get elegant and fragrant roses.

Number of roses symbolism

85. Not only the color of roses but also the number of roses you are giving as a gift is meaningful! So, before getting your roses, be sure to check out the list below.

(Note that this list is suited for Western culture and traditions. In Eastern Europe, you shouldn’t give somebody an even number of roses).

Number of Rose Meaning

• One rose: devotion to a single person, love at first sight, 
• Two roses: a shared special bond 
• Six roses: passionate love (“I love you, I miss you”)
•  Ten roses: “You are pretty!”
• Twelve roses: “Be mine!”
• Fifteen roses – “I am really sorry…”
• Twenty-four roses: “You are always on my mind!”
• Fifty roses: everlasting love
• 108 roses: “Will you marry me?”

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Facts about roses