Birth Month Flowers: A Beautiful Guide to Meanings & Gift Ideas

Birth Month Flowers: A Beautiful Guide to Meanings & Gift Ideas

Birth Month Flowers: A Beautiful Guide to Meanings & Gift Ideas

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We all know our zodiac sign, and most of us are familiar with our birthstone. But did you know that every month also has its very own designated "birth month flowers"? It's a delightful secret that many of our customers are thrilled to discover!

At Carathea, we love adding special meaning to gifts. Understanding the birth flowers for each month offers a wonderfully personal touch, making birthday presents even more heartfelt. This is especially true for those who might find zodiac signs a little too esoteric – after all, who doesn't love the beauty of flowers?

In this comprehensive guide, we'll take you on a whistle-stop tour of the birth flowers for each month, providing a handy, go-to reference for that thoughtful gift for a friend or loved one.

The Language of Flowers: A Timeless Tradition

For centuries, people have recognised that flowers carry hidden meanings, often serving as substitutes for words. Used in mythologies, stories, and folklore across cultures, flowers became powerful symbols conveying sentiments without uttering a single word. Even Shakespeare masterfully wove the meanings of flowers into his iconic writing!

For instance, historically, presenting a red carnation was a clear expression of "I love you," while a white carnation given to a lady symbolised good luck. The Victorians, deeply enchanted by flora, took this "language of flowers" (or floriography) to an art form. Inspired by Queen Victoria's own passion for flowers, most Victorian homes even held guidebooks detailing these secret messages.

Even today, a bride’s wedding bouquet can convey subtle, hidden messages through its floral choices.

If you want to read more on this subject we can highly recommend this book (*affiliate link) - it's fascinating reading.

Floriography

Discover Your Birth Month Flower

Here, we introduce you to the charming Birth Month Flowers for each month of the year:

January – Carnation or Snowdrop

The beautiful birth flowers for January are the carnation and the snowdrop. The delicate snowdrop, often one of the first blooms to emerge in late winter, symbolises hope and new beginnings. Carnations, in general, signify love, with different colours conveying varied meanings. A white carnation, for instance, symbolises remembrance and innocence, while a pink carnation can represent a Mother’s enduring love.

january birth flowers carnation and snowdrop

February – Violet or Iris

With their charming heart-shaped leaves, violets are perfectly apt for February and Valentine’s Day, symbolising everlasting love, faithfulness, and humbleness. The elegant iris also represents hope, wisdom, and protection. Primrose is sometimes also used as the birth month flower for February.

February Birth flowers Iris and Viola

March – The Daffodil

Much like the joyous sight of daffodils emerging as one of the early signs of spring, the daffodil aptly signifies new beginnings, prosperity, and unrequited love. Its cheerful bright colour brings warmth after winter. Daffodils are used a lot in jewellery design so there is plenty of choice for this month.

March Birth Flower Daffodil

April – Daisy or Sweet Pea

The beloved little daisy, with its innocent charm, stands for innocence, happiness, and purity, making it the birth month flower for April. The delicate sweet pea symbolises blissful pleasure, departure, and gratitude – a lovely way to say "thank you for a lovely time spent together."

April Birth Month Flowers Daisy and Sweet Pea

May – Lily of the Valley or Hawthorne

The enchanting Lily of the Valley is a beautiful flower to convey sweetness, humility, and the return of happiness. The hawthorne flower, with its protective nature, symbolises supreme happiness and hope.

May Birth Month Flowers Lily of the Valley and Hawthorne

June – Rose or Honeysuckle

The rose, the quintessential flower of romance, is the birth flower for June. While every colour of rose carries a different nuance, the overarching symbol is one of deep love and devotion. Honeysuckle, with its intoxicating fragrance, symbolises the everlasting bonds of love and devoted affection.

June Birth Month Flowers Rose and Honeysuckle

July – Larkspur (or Delphinium) or Water Lily

Similar to June's honeysuckle, July's larkspur (also known as Delphinium) signifies strong bonds of love, lightness, and levity. The serene water lily, often found purifying ponds, is a symbol of purity, rebirth, and enlightenment.

July Birth Month Flowers Delphium and Water Lily

August – Poppy or Gladiolus

The gladiolus, also known as the ‘Sword Lily’, is said to pierce the heart with love, symbolising strength, sincerity, and moral integrity. The poppy, one of the most well-known of flowers, is the other August birth flower. While the red poppy famously symbolises remembrance (as discussed in our article on Poppy For Remembrance), different colours represent other meanings – an orange poppy, for instance, signifies pleasure.

August Birth Month Flowers Poppy and Gladiolus

September – Morning Glory or Aster

The birth month flowers for September are Morning Glory and Asters. Morning Glory, true to its name, gracefully closes its petals at night and reopens them each morning, symbolising affection and the ephemeral beauty of life. The vibrant Aster, especially in deep purple, signifies deep love, affection, wisdom, and patience.

September Birth Month Flowers Morning Glory and Aster

October – Marigold or Cosmos

The marigold boasts such a strong and beautiful colour, its bright rays were said to imitate the sun, lighting someone’s way out of darkness. It symbolises creativity, passion, and warmth. The graceful cosmos flower stands for peace, serenity, and order.

October Birth Month Flowers - Marigold and Cosmos

November – Chrysanthemum

Affectionately known as "mum," the chrysanthemum is a widely recognised flower, available in a vast array of colours. Originally cultivated in China, these flowers are so cherished in Japan and China that there's even a "Festival of Happiness" dedicated to them. These vibrant blooms hold strong meanings of youth, happiness, and longevity in Eastern cultures.

November Birth Month Flowers chrysanthemum and peony

December – Holly or Narcissus

The holly is an obvious choice for December. Although technically a leaf with red berries rather than an official 'flower', it is synonymous with Christmas and wintertime. Aptly, it was historically used for protection and symbolises happiness and merriment. The narcissus flower encompasses many varieties (including the daffodil, the birth flower for March), but the specific narcissus celebrated as the December birth flower is the Paperwhite – an evergreen variety with pure white flowers said to mean perfection and good wishes.

December Birth Month Flower Narcissus and Holly

To Sum Up...

We hope you've enjoyed this delightful tour of the birth month flowers for the year! We think you'll agree that a flower, or a beautiful piece of jewellery depicting someone's birth flower, could be a truly delightful and surprising gift, especially for someone who may not even realise they have one. It offers a wonderful, unique alternative to a traditional birthstone gift idea.

If you're inspired by these meaningful blooms, remember that Carathea offers a beautiful range of birthstone jewellery that also carries a personal connection to each month. Explore our collections for the perfect meaningful birthday gift that truly celebrates a loved one. You can visit our birth month flower page here for more inspiration.

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