Giving a bunch of roses to someone is a pretty cool thing to do and ever-so romantic, but before you decide to go wild and perform such a grand gesture there is something to think about: the colour.

The colour of a rose alters it's meaning, who knew?! Thankfully despite this you're unlikely to express something entirely misjudged, roses are roses and are always going to be well received. However if you're looking for subtle suggestion, choosing the right colour of the most romantic flower on offer is a nice touch.

Red
It's the classic and is most often delivered either as a single stem or 12. How romantic. The associated meaning matches this. We're talking love and beauty, courage and respect. Considered the most gorgeous of roses it was used by the most gorgeous woman in history, Cleopatra. She allegedly had her bedroom carpeted in red rose petals when she received Antony. And if it was good enough for her...

White
Generally white is fairly simple to decipher, as with the colour in general the sentiments expressed with a white rose focus on virtue and purity. In terms of love the white rose leans more towards incorruptibility, a connection between souls rather than flesh, something more associated with the classic red variation. The white roses defining moment was featuring in Queen Victoria's wedding in 1840, ever since it has been seen as a mainstay when roses are featured as part of marriage celebrations.

Pink
Another regular on the wedding circuit, the pink rose is considered gentle. It tends to suggest a more innocent love, a growing love. The pink rose also differs a lot in shade from light to dark, each having a different meaning. The most fair of these are associated with grace for example. At weddings the most popular variety tends to be a light coloured floribunda, they have a delicate and sweet scent as well as being known to last.

Orange
Orange roses are vivid and deliver a message of obsession. It's about fascination, if you have a healthy infatuation then orange is the colour to send, it shows that you're unable to stop thinking about someone. Victorians added the association of passion too as at its heart the orange rose tends to have a flame like quality of colour. Using an orange is a subtle way to reveal your desire.

Blue
The blue rose is not natural they're created through genetic modification. And seeing that they're a quirk of the regular rose they've become synonymous with mystery. This means they are used to express more complex sentiments, a want to explore the unfathomable depths of someone's personality, perfect for courting an individual who is a little bit of an enigma.

Black
Black roses, as with the blue, do not occur in nature. And as you'd expect a black rose is closely linked to bereavement and loss. That makes it not a great choice for courting with unless you're chosen recipient has a penchant for the darker side of beauty.

Roses are likely to be well received regardless of their colour, but with the information above you can choose a colour to suit your feelings. And add a further layer of meaning to your romantic act.