We all know our zodiac sign and most of us also know what our birthstone is. But, in case you didn’t realise it, every month also has a “birth month flowers” associated with it!
Many of our customers are delighted to discover the birth flowers for a particular month. They can give added meaning to a birthday gift by presenting something linked to the month of someone’s birthday.
This is especially so for those that don’t really “get” zodiac signs or find it a bit too esoteric. After all, everyone loves flowers, don’t they?
In this blog post, we’ll do a whistle-stop tour of the birth flowers for each month as a handy, go-to reference for that difficult-to-buy-for gift for a friend or loved one.
The Language of Flowers
People have recognised the meaning of flowers for centuries and flowers were often used as substitutes for words. Used in mythologies, stories and folklore, flowers conveyed sentiments. Even Shakespeare used the meanings of flowers in his writing!
For instance, people would present a red carnation as a way of expressing “I love you” to the recipient, whilst giving a white carnation to a lady meant good luck.
Victorians and Flowers
We’ve talked before about how much the Victorians loved flowers after their beloved Queen Victoria’s love for flowers made them so fashionable. In fact, the Victorians were so taken with flowers and their hidden meanings that most Victorian homes held a guidebook on the language of flowers.
A bride’s wedding bouquet can convey so many subtle, hidden messages in the flowers that are held on the day. The duch*ess of Cambridge’s wedding bouquet held a beautiful selection of white flowers and it’s fascinating to read the meanings behind each flower, as talked about here.
So, here we’ll introduce you to the Birth Month Flowers. If you need further inspiration, just follow the links under each birth month.
The Birth Flowers
January – Carnation or Snowdrop
The birth flowers for January are the carnation and the snowdrop. The lovely snowdrop, which often emerges in late winter, symbolised hope. Carnations symbolise love and, in particular, a Mother’s love. Different coloured carnations signify different things. A white carnation symbolises remembrance and innocence.
To read more on the birth flowers for January and jewellery gift ideas read our blog post here.
February – Violet or Iris
Violets have heart-shaped leaves which are very apt for February and Valentine’s Day. It symbolised ever-lasting love, faithfulness and humbleness.
The pretty little iris symbolised protection and love.
To read more about the birth month flowers for February, with jewellery gift ideas incorporating violets and iris see our blog post here.
March – Daffodil
In much the same way that the sight of daffodils emerging and flowering is one of the early signs of spring, the daffodil signifies new beginnings.
Read on for more on this month’s birth flower and some jewellery inspiration using daffodil flowers.
April – Daisy or Sweet Pea
The dear little daisy stands for innocence, happiness and purity and is the birth month flower for April. The Sweet Pea symbolises gratitude. A bunch of Sweet Peas is supposed to be a lovely way of saying “thank you” for a lovely time spent together.
Read more about April’s birth flowers here.
May – Lily of the Valley or Hawthorne
Lily of the Valley is a lovely flower to show someone how sweet they are to you. Hawthorne symbolises happiness in the best way possible.
Read more about May’s birth flower here.
June – Rose or Honeysuckle
Every colour of a rose has a different meaning, but the overarching symbol is one of love and devotion.
Honeysuckle, with its wonderful fragrance, shows someone that you value the everlasting bonds of love you share.
Read on here about this month’s birth flower.
July – Larkspur (or Delphinium) or Water Lily
As with June’s honeysuckle, July’s birth flower of larkspur signifies strong bonds of love.
The water lily is a symbol of purity – reflecting their use of cleaning ponds of any algae.
August – Poppy or Gladiolus
The gladiolus is also called the ‘Sword Lily’ and people said it would pierce the heart with love. The other August birth flower was the Poppy, one of the most well-known of flowers. Perhaps the most known colour is red – notably symbolising remembrance – but different colours represent other things. An orange poppy, for instance, means pleasure.
Read more about the August flowers here.
September – Morning Glory or Aster
The birth month flowers for September are Morning Glory and Asters. Morning Glory, as its name illustrates, closes its petals at night and opens them again each morning, just like April’s Daisy flower does. The deep purple of Aster signifies deep love and affection.
October – Marigold or Cosmos
We are sure you’ll agree that the marigold has such a strong and beautiful colour, so bright that it was said to imitate the rays of the sun shining, lighting someone’s way out of the darkness.
The cosmos flower stands for peace and serenity.
November – Chrysanthemum
A well-known flower throughout the world and available in so many colours, people often affectional know the chrysanthemum simply as “mum”. Originally cultivated in China, these flowers are so well-loved in Japan and China that there is even a day named after them called the Festival of Happiness.
These flowers have very strong meanings in these cultures to youth and happiness.
December – Holly or Narcissus
The holly is an obvious choice for December. Although not officially a ‘flower’, a leaf with red berries. It is synonymous with Christmas, and wintertime and was, aptly, used for protection. It also symbolised happiness and merriment.
The narcissus flower envelopes many varieties (including the daffodil which we all know and love so well and is the birth flower for March) but the particular narcissus celebrated as the December birth flower is the Paperwhite – an evergreen variety with white-coloured flowers said to mean perfection.
To Sum Up …
We hope you’ve enjoyed this whistlestop tour of the birth month flowers of the year. We think you’ll agree, a flower or a piece of jewellery depicting the birth flower could be a delightful surprise to someone who may not even realise what their birth flower is. It is a lovely alternative to a birthstone gift idea.
If you enjoyed this blog post you may like our post on birthstones for each month. You can visit our birth month flower page here.
