The rose is a symbol of love, hope, joy, passion, remembrance, and condolence. No flower has been the subject of sonnets, plays, songs and poems more than the rose.

The history of the rose goes far back. The Greeks revered the red rose as having come from the blood of Adonis; the Romans used roses in their parties and thought nothing of carpeting the floor with rose petals; the Persians associated the rose with the heart; the early Christians made the rose a symbol of love in connection with the Virgin Mary and Christ's Blood.

The Victorians even talked in roses, and some of that language still survives today. A red rose, of course, signifies respect and love. A yellow rose, in Victorian times, meant a jealous suitor but today means friendship. The white rose signified innocence and purity. In the US, white roses are often used at weddings and have acquired the additional meaning of happiness and security. Pink roses are often used to signify appreciation or gratitude. White and red roses together signify unity. White roses fringed in red have come to mean the same thing.

The Victorians used more than just colors. Two roses bound together signified an engagement. A thornless rose signified love at first sight. A wilted rose, of course, signified rejection. There were also meanings in rosebuds, half-open buds and roses in full bloom, as well as meanings in the number of roses given; fifty roses, for instance, signified unconditional love and twenty-five roses were given as congratulations.

For Valentine's Day, rather than give any number of individual roses, why not give a rose bush? There may be no meaning in the language of roses for a rose bush but in the language of gardeners, it's surely a gift of love!

Don't be confused by all those numbers! The N-P-K numbers (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) on the label simply give you the percentage of each of these primary nutrients in the fertilizer. For example, a 10-20-20 fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 20% phosphorus, and 20% potassium. This means that 100 pounds of this fertilizer will have 10 pounds of nitrogen, 20 pounds of phosphorus, and 20 pounds of potassium. These nutrients certainly aren't the only ones plants need, but plants use them in the greatest quantities. You'll sometimes hear the term "fertilizer ratios." This is simply the ratio of each to the other. Divide the numbers by the lowest number in the group of 3 and you will have the ratio. For instance, 10-20-20 would have a 1-2-2 ratio, and 15-15-15 would be 1-1-1.

Nitrogen is the nutrient most often in short supply in soils. It stimulates vegetative growth such as leaves and stems, and gives a lush green color to leaves. Phosphorous stimulates root growth, hastens flowering, and promotes increased disease-resistance, whereas potassium increases the size and quality of fruit and flowers, among other benefits.

The balance of these nutrients can be as important as how much you apply. For instance, a tomato may respond with lots of vegetative growth and few fruits if you give it too much nitrogen. If you give it too much phosphorous and potassium, and no nitrogen, the result can be a small plant that produces only a few tomatoes. Be sure to use a fertilizer that is specialized for the type of plant you are feeding.