Introduction to Floriography - Birthday Blooms

What’s the gift for the person who has everything? You can never go wrong with a bouquet of flowers.
Wanna take that to the next level? Go for the blooms made for the month, literally designated and designed for moments like this!
Much like birthstones, birth flowers originated during the Roman times, where pagan beliefs and values were still intrinsically important within society. These birth flowers are attributed to a person’s month of birth, each chosen for their sweet and positive floriography meanings. They vary from country to country, but they mostly stay very similar, but I’ll be basing this post off UK meanings, as they are the closest to the original Victorian Language of Flowers. It is said that the characteristics that the birthday flower has may be "inherited" by whoever is born in that certain month person - does the flower attached to your month match to your personality?

JANUARY - CARNATION
In the Language of Flowers, Carnations don’t hold a great meaning - disdain, refusal and ‘Alas! My poor heart’ - eek. However, in the context of birth flowers they hold a bright spot in the gloomy dreary post-Christmas lull of January. Carnations symbolise love, fascination and distinction, and can thrive in winter months when almost all else doesn’t.

FEBRUARY - VIOLET
You might be surprised that, with Valentines Day falling within February, there isn’t ‘Rose’ or other stereotypical flowers related to this month. However, violets are a unassuming and humble flower with a beautiful meaning, so you’ve lucked out. This purple-hued bloom is a symbol of modesty, hope, faithfulness and wisdom. In the Victorian age, a gift of violets was a declaration to always be true, and it still serves as a wonderful reminder of loyalty, thoughtfulness and dependability.

MARCH - DAFFODIL
With their bright yellow hue, it’s no surprise that the daffodil makes the coming of spring and also represents rebirth and new beginnings. When given to someone, they traditionally mean ‘I desire a return of affection’ so have come to nowadays also symbolise love, respect and friendship.

APRIL - DAISY/SWEET PEA
My own birth month flower, daisies and sweet peas always hold a special place in my heart (I’m currently failing to grow my own, keep your fingers crossed for me). When given in Victorian times, daisies represented ‘I share your sentiments’, and sweet peas mean ‘delicate pleasures’. In more recent times, the daisy has come to purity and innocence, and the soft sweet peas signifies intense pleasure, perhaps because of its heady fragrance. Quite the pair!

MAY - LILY OF THE VALLEY
If you haven’t read the wonderful lyrical piece by my May-baby friend Maya from a few weeks ago, I recommend you go give it a look to really get an inside look into the Lily of the Valley. But to sum it up, traditionally it represents a ‘return of happiness’. It can also signify sweetness, humility, and motherhood. So they’re a perfect gift for your mother on her birthday if it falls in May! However, some meanings differ with each colour so bare that in mind!

JUNE - ROSE/HONEYSUCKLE
And here comes the Rose. I feel like I’ve talked about this flower a lot recently, but it really does signify summer in all it’s glory. I’ve covered all it’s various meanings according to colour in a previous post so if you’d like to know more about that, go check it out. Honeysuckle might be a flower you’re less familiar too, being as it usually grows on vines and bushes and it’s rare you’ll see it featured in bouquets. In the Language of Flowers, it represents generous and devoted affection, and so giving this (in plant or cut flower form) will convey a message of love, gratitude and appreciation to the recipient.

JULY - LARKSPUR
Otherwise known as the Delphinium, these tricky flowers have a few different meaning depending on their colour. Generally, they mean lightness, levity and strong bonds of love. But beware, pink ones represent fickleness and purple ones haughtiness. Stick with white, which signifies happiness - so much safer.

AUGUST - GLADIOLUS/POPPY
Sometimes referred to as the sword lily, due to its long and skinny shape, the gladiolus doesn’t feature in the original Language of Flowers, strangely enough. However it represents an incredible strength of character, moral integrity, remembrance and honesty. This long-lasting flower comes in a variety of colours like pink, red, purple, yellow, orange, white and green, so you’ve got plenty of choice! The poppy is another bloom that largely represents remembrance and sleep, but also commonly signifies (in the Victorian’s words) ‘fantastic extravagance’ - fancy!

SEPTEMBER - ASTER/MORNING GLORY
Frequently seen in pink, white and purple tones, the aster used to mean variety and afterthought - those Victorians were vicious! In the kinder modern meaning, they now are associated with love, elegance, and faith. Morning Glory, from my research, seems to have quite an array of meanings. The Victorians liked to use morning glory to show affection, however, modern day meanings seems to range from passion and rebirth, to unrequited love. Either way, the flower is gorgeous and a treat on the eyes of the receiver, so don’t let the confusion put you off.

December - Poinsettia - All Images Pinterest

OCTOBER - MARIGOLD
Another flower that really manifests the season, marigolds appear in a burst of orange that matches the autumn leaves. So it’s no surprise that this flower currently means warmth, creativity and passion. But when I look into the brutal Victorian meaning, marigolds didn’t hold such positive connotations. They often meant vulgar minds, jealousy and even grief. I hope, if you’re an October babe, you relate more to the first explanation than the second!

NOVEMBER - CHRYSANTHEMUM
November’s birth flower is the bright and cheery chrysanthemum. This versatile bloom can be found in many different colours and sizes to match the impact you want to give, but most commonly in pink, white, yellow and red varieties. Chrysanthemums most commonly symbolise joy, loyalty and honesty, though meanings can vary depending on the flower’s colour. Like roses and tulips, red is for love, white means innocence, and yellow denotes unrequited love, so pick wisely, November babies.

DECEMBER - NARCISSUS/POINSETTIA
And finally, we reach December, and all it’s frosty flower goodness. A lot of people relate winter to trees and plants, however, there are a lot of flowers that bloom around this time of year (more on that in a later post). Poinsettia’s are the poster flower for Christmas, and I still have the fondest memories of my mum always having one by the fireplace around this time of year. The poinsettia comes in three colours: red, white, and pink and commonly represents good cheer and success. Narcissus is almost the visual opposite of the poinsettia, with it’s colours probably reminding you more of March’s daffodil. The narcissus is symbolic of good wishes, hope and wealth, so very fitting for this time of year, and maybe the perfect surprise gift if you’re bored of being surrounded by reds and greens.

So, did your flower resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!