Roses are the health meters in the game Ib. The petals of the roses represent the character's remaining life meter. Petals can be lost by direct contact with an enemy, exposure to environmental hazards, or dialogue-triggered damage. If the rose of a currently controlled character loses all of its petals the character will die, resulting in a game over. The exception is Mary, as her rose is fake; therefore, it does not represent her health meter.
Each controllable character has a unique rose. Ib's rose is red and has a total of five petals; when Ib first acquires it, only three petals will be attached. Garry's rose is blue and has ten petals, most likely due to the fact that he's an adult. Mary's rose is yellow; though, as it is fake, the number of petals is unknown.
In order for a rose to be restored, it must be placed in one of the water-filled vases scattered around the cursed gallery. Most vases in the game can only be used once, with the exception of the blue Eternal Blessing vases and the vase in the gas room. The latter can be used repeatedly because water dripping from the ceiling refills it.
The symbolic meaning of roses are as follows (according to the language of flowers):
Red Rose (Ib) = True love, courage, respect, and passion
Yellow Rose (Mary) = Friendship, jealousy, infidelity, apology, a broken heart, intense emotion, dying love, and extreme betrayal
Blue Rose (Garry) = Mystery, attaining the impossible, miracle, and love at first sight
