Similar to a birthstone, a birth month flower holds a unique meaning for the one whose birthday month it represents.
While some may only think of a birthstone necklace when looking for a meaningful and unique birthday gift, why not expand your search to a custom-made bouquet with the recipient’s birth month flower throughout?
From daffodils to daisies, every month has a flower and every flower has a meaning. Find your birth month flower below, then read about your friends and loved ones!
January - Carnation
January’s flower exemplifies admiration, gratitude, and affection. Carnations come in many colors and are one of the few flowers that can withstand January’s harsh temperatures. As a simple, yet beautiful flower, the carnation can either fill a bouquet on its own, or complement a variety of other blooms.
Carnations can take on a variety of meanings, depending on their color. Go with a deep red for your love interest, light red carnation for a friend that you admire, or pink for a female family member, as the blush hue symbolizes a mother’s love.
February - Violet or Iris
February’s flower is greatly debated among floral experts. If you seek the opinion of 10 floral industry experts, you’ll get 5 that say iris, and 5 that say the violet! Both flowers represent wisdom and faithfulness, and they both coordinate with February’s birthstone, amethyst. Whichever flower you choose to symbolize your own or a loved one’s birth month, they’ll be greatly appreciative of the bold blooms to brighten up the dull winter months.
Irises are particularly easy to grow in a home garden, have tons of blooms, and keep coming back year after year!
March - Daffodil
Bring on the spring! March’s weather can cause you to either bundle up for a blizzard or be outside working in the garden in a short-sleeved shirt, you never know. But one thing’s for sure: With March comes spring, and nothing says spring like a bright yellow daffodil. The daffodil symbolizes happiness, prosperity, and new beginnings.
Daffodils are also easy to grow and look great in bouquets.
April - Daisy and Sweet Pea
Unlike the great debate of the February flowers, it’s generally agreed upon that April has two birth month flowers – the daisy and the sweet pea.
Daisies are associated with innocence and true to their wildflower roots, they symbolize innocence and a carefree nature.
Sweet Peas can be detected by the sweet, perfume-like fragrance that surrounds them. Bring a bunch inside to fill your home with a spring-like scent and brighten the day of anyone who passes through.
Fun fact: The sweet pea’s scent is offensive to flies!
May - Lily of the Valley
The lily of the valley is a delicate woodland plant, famous for its sweetly scented, bell-shaped white flowers.
They symbolize many things:
- Good luck
- Serenity
- Delicacy
- Kindness
Just to name a few!
Fun Fact: Lily of the valley belongs to the asparagus family.
June - Rose
A rose can carry many meanings, depending on its color, and the manner in which it’s given. But no matter what color, they all symbolize love and beauty, making them the perfect go-to flower for when words aren’t enough.
Fun Fact: Roses are the most common flower design if you’re looking for a new tattoo!
July - Larkspur
The tall stalks and vibrant colors of larkspurs symbolize positivity and love. Depending on the color of the blooms, they can also symbolize fickleness (pink) or a first love (purple). Larkspurs can grow up to 8 feet tall! They make great additions to bouquets and instantly brighten a room, perfect for a July birthday.
The larkspur attracts hummingbirds, bees, and many other pollinators, but humans are one species that shouldn’t be ingesting this flower. All parts of the plant are considered toxic to humans, as they contain poisonous alkaloids. Even briefly touching larkspurs can irritate your skin. The lesson here? Handle with care!
August - Gladiolus
Named for their appearance, the Gladiolus is a translation of “little sword” in Latin. A bold flower with sword-like stems, the Gladiolus represents strength, sincerity, and integrity.
They come in a variety of colors including pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, and white. Being tall and colorful, they work well by themselves or in an arrangement.
September - Aster
These adorable little “bursts” are wildflowers that are a part of the daisy family. They are most commonly known for their blueish-purple color, which happens to match the September birthstone—the sapphire. The Aster symbolizes wisdom, royalty, and valor and actually means “star” in Greek.
Fun fact: The Aster is frequently mistaken for a daisy, but the flower is actually more closely related to the Sunflower as they are part of the same family.
October - Marigold
There’s no better flower for the beautiful fall month of October than the Marigold. Their bright gold color compliments the changing leaves of the fall season and symbolize.
Sadly, marigolds don’t survive when cut, so if you’re sending an arrangement, it’s best to send a fall design with other golden flowers, or even a potted plant. But if you’re able to plant them around the edges of your garden, this flower will keep pests away, and according to lore they may even be able to tell you when rain is coming. Some believe that when a Marigold blossoms in the morning, it’s predicting rain for later in the day.
November - Chrysanthemum
More commonly referred to as the “mum,” Chrysanthemums are known for their poofy, ball-like blooms. They symbolize loyalty and honesty and are hearty enough to withstand the November weather. Their late-autumn blooming makes them the perfect November birth flower and a great gift for anyone.
Fun fact: The Chrysanthemum is the most popular bloom used in bouquets and boutonnieres today.
December - Narcissus (paperwhite) and Holly
Holly’s bright red berries and shiny green leaves are unmistakably a symbol of the holidays. The holly plant symbolizes protection, since the prickly ends protect the beautiful red berries, it makes perfect sense! The Narcissus is symbolic of hope and good wishes. They’re the perfect “winter white” to add to any holiday or December birthday bouquet.
While most people associate Holly with Christmas, the flora has been part of holiday festivities dating all the way back to the Druids, who are believed to have used Holly in their Winter Solstice celebrations.
Know someone whose birthday is coming up? Send a personalized bouquet with their birth month flower, lovingly designed by a local florist.
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