A flower tattoo in general connects back to nature, and brings up images of life, such as birth, procreation and vitality. This is because we see the duration of life when we look at a flower. We see a flower emerge from the earth, and then grow day by day. We see a flower bloom, and later dry up and wilt away.

To have a tattoo picturing a flower reminds us of that whole process of life. Additionally, different colors of flowers on a tattoo symbolize different things as well. Seeing a white flower tattoo brings up the idea of purity, while the color of red on a flower can mean the blood of Christ or burning passion.

Being tattooed with a rose symbolizes love, or more specifically a pure love. As a matter of fact, around the 16th century, a rose was tattooed on people condemned to death, so they would be recognized immediately if they ever escaped the gallows. However, nowadays the rose is tattooed as a symbol of love and passion. Much of the tattoo symbolism of this flower has to do with the rose being a flower that is given during romantic occasions. This is why a rose is often tattooed on someone to show their love for a certain person. It's probably not a coincidence that the rose tattoo is the most popular of all tattoos picturing flowers, and even more so, since men are getting tattooed with roses as well.