What Flower Colours Mean: Choosing Roses, Tulips and Carnations for a Bouquet

Most people choose flowers by what looks nice, and that is a perfectly good way to do it. But flowers have carried meanings for a long time, and knowing them makes choosing easier when you are stuck between two colours.

A word of caution first. These meanings come mostly from the nineteenth-century European habit of sending messages in flowers, and different lists from that time disagree with each other. Treat them as a tradition to borrow from, not a rulebook. Nobody will be offended by a yellow carnation.

Roses

• Red rose: love and romance. The one flower almost everyone reads the same way.
• Pink rose: admiration, gratitude and affection. Warmer than a thank-you card, lighter than red.
• White rose: new beginnings and sincerity, which is why it turns up at weddings. It is also a flower of remembrance.

One thing to know in India: white flowers are also used in mourning in many families. For a celebration, pair white roses with a colour so the bouquet does not read as solemn.

Tulips

• Pink tulip: affection and good wishes. A safe, friendly choice for almost anyone.
• Yellow tulip: cheerfulness and friendship. The one to send a friend.
• White tulip: an apology, or a fresh start.
• Purple tulip: admiration. Purple was long the colour of royalty, and the meaning stuck.
• Orange tulip: energy and enthusiasm. Good for a new job, a move or exam results.

Carnations

• Red carnation: deep admiration and love.
• Pink carnation: a mother's love and gratitude. It is the flower most associated with Mother's Day.
• Yellow carnation: the old lists give this one an unhappy meaning, disappointment. Almost nobody reads it that way now; today it simply looks sunny.
• Purple carnation: traditionally whimsy and unpredictability. A good one for the friend who is exactly that.

Sunflowers and daisies

• Sunflower: loyalty, warmth and adoration, from the way the young flower turns to follow the sun.
• Daisy: innocence, cheer and new beginnings. Often given for a new baby or a fresh chapter.

Which flowers for which occasion

• Anniversary or Valentine's Day: red roses, with a pink rose or two to soften them.
• A friend's birthday: yellow tulips with a sunflower.
• Mother's Day, or a thank-you to an elder: pink carnations and pink roses.
• Saying sorry: white tulips, with a handwritten card.
• New job, graduation or results: orange tulips and a sunflower.
• Get well soon: daisies and yellow tulips.
• New baby or new home: daisies with pink or white tulips.
• Just because: whatever colour they wear most.

That last one is the best rule on this page. A bouquet in someone's favourite colour says you were paying attention, and that outweighs any list of meanings.

Does the number of stems matter?

Less than people think. A single stem is a complete gift and has always been one. If you are building a bunch, an odd number of stems tends to look fuller and less arranged than an even one, which is why three and five are so common.

Flowers that keep their meaning

Fresh flowers say their piece for about a week. A crocheted one says it for years, which matters more when the flower was chosen for what it means. In the Felofey bouquet builder you can pick each stem and colour yourself: roses, tulips, carnations and daisies at ₹99 a stem, sunflowers at ₹149. Our guide to building a bouquet walks through it with prices.

Common questions

Which flower means friendship?

Yellow tulips are the usual choice, and yellow roses carry the same meaning. A sunflower works too.

Which flower is best for an apology?

White tulips are the traditional flower for saying sorry. Add a card; the words matter more than the flower.

What do pink carnations mean?

A mother's love and gratitude, which is why they are given on Mother's Day.

Is it bad luck to give white flowers?

No, but in many Indian families white flowers are associated with mourning. Mixing them with a colour avoids any confusion at a celebration.

Do crochet flowers carry the same meanings?

Yes. The meaning belongs to the flower and its colour, not to how long it lasts.