Roses speak the language of love and each color represents something different. Red signifies love and passion, pink roses are softer, add elegance and symbolize sweetness. White represents unity, purity and loyalty and love that lives past death. Purple roses, yes, there are actually purple roses, mean majesty and eternal love and love at first sight is signified by lilac and lavender roses. One of my favorites, yellow roses represents friendship and harmony in marriage while a black rose signifies, of course, death but also rejuvenation.
Just about any holiday is a reason to objects that are red give a rose and the rose just abut sells itself. Roses are wanted dead or alive. Blooming brightly in all it's glory or past it's prime and made into a wreath, roses are a saleable commodity. The naming of roses is another fabulous marketing idea. Who wouldn't want to have a "lady of the mist" rose in their yard instead of just a pink rose bush? Pretty high faluting, don't you think? Tons of advertising money is spend on valentine's day to sell roses and at Christmas time more money is spent on letting the public know about the Christmas rose.