The flower of the month for January is the Rose. This classic flower comes in a variety of colours and is recognised instantly by almost everyone. In this blog, we're going to give you some fun facts about Roses - some of them you might know, others might surprise you slightly.. 

1. In Ancient Greece, the rose was associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. This is why we traditionally give roses for Valentine's Day.

2. There are over 300 species of roses and over 10,000 cultivars (cultivated or hybrid roses).

3. It takes 2,000 roses to extract just one gram of rose oil to be used in perfume.

4. You can make rainbow roses by taking a white rose and splitting the stem into different bowls of dyed coloured water. The rose sucks up the water and dyes the petals different colours. 

5. The oldest living rose is 1,000 years old and it grows on a wall on the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. 

6. A rose breeder spent 15 years breeding a rare rose variety called Juliet, which then sold for $15.8 million in 2006. 

7. Despite the name Black Magic, there is actually no such thing as a black rose. These roses are actually really dark red and look black to the human eye. 

8. Each colour of rose has a different meaning. Red roses symbolise love and romance, Yellow roses represent friendship and cheer. White roses are known for symbolising purity, innocence and spirituality. Pink roses exude grace and elegance whilst Orange roses are associated with enthusiasm and energy. 

9. Wild roses only bloom once a year, and are naturally pollinated by insects.

10. Roses are one of the oldest flowers, with archaeologists discovering rose fossils that date back 35 millions years. 

Facts found on - Kidadl