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You could be walking down a busy street in New York City. Or driving through a quiet town upstate. Or hiking somewhere in the Adirondacks. And in all of those places, you might see the same thing — a rose in bloom.
That’s part of what makes New York’s state flower so interesting. It isn’t tied to just one landscape or one kind of place. It shows up everywhere.
This short video shares how the rose became the state flower of New York and why it represents such a diverse state so well.
Rose
Rose
Rosa
Unlike most state flowers, New York didn’t choose a single species.
It chose all roses.
That means the state flower could be a climbing rose on a city fence, a carefully tended garden rose, or a wild rose growing along a trail.
A few things that make it special:
Found in both urban and rural environments
Blooms in late spring through summer
Comes in a wide range of colors and forms
Known for its fragrance and layered petals
From city parks to countryside gardens, the rose is a flower that fits almost anywhere in New York.
Why It Became the State Flower
The story begins in 1890, when schoolchildren across New York were asked to vote for a state flower.
They were given three choices:
The goldenrod
The rose
The daisy
The goldenrod won the first vote — but only by a small margin.
The following year, in 1891, a second vote was held with just two options: goldenrod and rose.
This time, the rose won by a landslide.
Even so, it wasn’t until April 20, 1955, that the rose was officially adopted as the state flower of New York.
One of the reasons it was chosen is what makes it so unique — it isn’t just one kind of rose.
It represents all roses.
That flexibility made it a perfect symbol for a state as diverse as New York.
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