Roses are red, Violets are blue. Cathy Isom has a little rich history and meaning for you about the official flower of the month of June. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
The official flower of the month of June is the rose. A flower most people associate with love, passion, beauty, and perfection.
The rose is rich with history and meaning. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, presented a rose to Eros, and Cleopatra lured Mark Antony with a room knee-deep in rose petals. Named after the Latin word rosa which means red. It’s also a symbol of the 15th wedding anniversary.
There are more than 100 species of roses, in a variety of sizes and colors.
Giving a gift of roses can have several different meanings, depending on their color, and the number of roses in a bouquet.
Throughout history, roses have been adopted as the symbol of countless causes. They are the official emblem of numerous countries, including the United States. In 1985, the United States Senate passed a resolution asking the president to declare the rose as the national floral emblem. About a year later, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation certifying the rose 
as the national flower in a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden.
Roses have also taken on religious connotations over the centuries, being used to represent not only Jesus and the Virgin Mary but also all Christian martyrs. During the 20th Century, roses became a symbol of freedom and non-violent resistance in oppressed nations.
Rose oil has been used in perfume for centuries because of its distinctive, and highly aromatic scent. Rose hips, the fruit of the rose plant, are edible and rich in vitamin C. They are often used in jams and jellies, tea and other recipes, as well as in cosmetics. The petals and leaves are frequently used in herbal medicines, primarily to treat stomach problems.
In the United States, California is one of the biggest producers of roses. And every year, Americans spend billions of dollars buying bouquets of roses for Valentine’s Day.
I’m Cathy Isom…