What do pink carnations and one black rose mean?

Answer 1

First of all in French the word Rose means both the flower by that name and the color pink- La Vie en Rose- Life in the Pink! Rosenthal is either Pink Valley or Valley of Roses- I"ll opt for the former- methinks the line in Big Yellow Taxi targeted Palisades Park as the (Pink Paradise)-also a pun on Admiral Rosenthal who ran the park. Red roses are the most common. In Italian mortuary garland use- normally white roses mean a Virgin, a young girl or a young woman who died tragically- Red roses for a Married woman. These usages are not etched in stone, so to speak. Flowers in her hair ( as mentioned in several songs) DOES have a morbid association.

Answer 2

The black rose refers to mourning.

The pink carnations are the symbol of a mother's undying love.

• If presented around Easter, this bouquet might remind people of this Christian legend: As Jesus carried the Cross, the Virgin Mary cried (black rose = mourning), and carnations (pink = mother's love) sprang up from where her tears fell.
• Of course, there can be other meanings, such as pink carnations are feminine and the black rose is mysterious, so it would be a good bouquet to give to a young lady (pink carnations) who just graduated from college, and she has a lot of career options (mystery) waiting for her decision.
• A final thought, Elvis liked the pink and black combo (remember his 2nd pink Cadillac?), so it would be an appropriate bouquet for an Elvis fan.