Why Red Roses Are The Ultimate Valentine's Day Gift: History, Symbolism, & Expert Picks

When it comes to gifts and tokens of affection, flowers are a classic choice. But of all the flowers given on holidays, none are as closely associated with Valentine's Day as the red rose. Even if you're not someone who pays attention to this mid-February holiday, it's hard to miss the sales displays filled with dozens of Valentine's Day roses situated front and center in supermarkets, drugstores and even gas station mini-marts. Of all the Valentine's Day gifts out there, none is as iconic as the rose.

Roses aren't strictly for expressing romantic love. Thanks to different rose color meanings, the classic beauties make great Valentine's Day gifts for friends and family members too. But before you hit the nearest florist for a rainbow's array of roses, find out how the tradition of giving roses for Valentine's Day started (a neat piece of trivia) and which roses are tops. And in the hubbub of the holiday, don't forget to stop and smell the roses while researching Valentine's Day ideas.

How much do people spend on Valentine's Day roses?

In 2022 alone, people spent $23.9 billion on Valentine's Day, according to the National Retail Federation. Of that, $2.3 billion went to Valentine's Day flowers—averaging out to nearly $17 per person. That number typically increases every year, so there's a decent chance the figure will be even higher in 2023. And grumble as they may about the cost of Valentine's Day roses (the price of roses skyrockets around the holiday), Americans are willing to pay the price for the flower that best signifies love.

'Plants are great for long-lasting tokens of love, and a simple red rose plant is ever popular,' says Sandra Varley, a florist with more than a decade of experience and the sales and marketing manager for Flying Flowers. And while a bouquet of cut roses may not last quite as long as a rose bush, it says 'I love you' for as long as the flowers live—even longer if you dry them.

Why is a rose given on Valentine's Day?

The tradition of giving roses for Valentine's Day has several origin stories, and like the history of Cupid and Valentine's Day, it's rooted in Greek mythology. 'Some stories say that the first red rose was created when the Greek goddess Aphrodite was scratched by a white rose's thorn, causing that rose to turn red,' says Sara Cleto, PhD, a folklorist and co-founder of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic. 'Others say that the first red rose grew on the ground where Adonis, Aphrodite's lover, died and the goddess's tears fell.'

As far as the history behind the tradition of Valentine's Day roses, an early figure sometimes connected to the association between roses and romance is Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of a British ambassador to Turkey during the 1700s. 'Lady Montagu wrote letters home enthusing over a version of Turkish 'flower language,' or the process of assigning certain symbolic meanings to certain flowers, but she seems to have misinterpreted this local custom, which had more to do with rhyming words than the significance of the flowers themselves,' Cleto says. 'Still, the concept of 'flower languages' caught on, especially in 19th-century England, and over the course of that century, roses became ever more tightly linked to romantic love.'

But a huge reason giving roses for Valentine's Day has persisted as a tradition is 'simply because roses are beautiful, fabulous-smelling flowers that happen to travel really well,' says Cleto. 'Flowers are usually shipped over long distances, and roses are both gorgeous and hardy, so that's a huge part of why this practice has continued.'

What are the best roses for Valentine's Day?

Red roses are the best roses for Valentine's Day because the color is associated with passion and romantic love. 'Part of this is probably because red dye used to be particularly expensive, difficult to obtain and sometimes synonymous with royalty,' Cleto explains. 'All these factors made red feel especially desirable and luxurious.'

Everyone has their preferences as far as the variety, but according to Varley, Samourai roses are tops when it comes to Valentine's Day roses. 'It is the perfect intense red that oozes luxury, and the large petals are velvety in texture and are complemented well by the surrounding dark green leaves,' she says. 'The shape of the bloom is perfect for a romantic bouquet also, as the oval buds open to a large double bloom flower, which is full and impactful. One further advantage is that this particular rose is thornless, which is perfect for gift giving.'

The enduring appeal of giving roses on Valentine's Day lies in their timeless beauty, symbolism, and ability to express heartfelt emotions. Whether you choose a classic red rose or a vibrant alternative, gifting roses remains a romantic gesture that speaks volumes about your affection.