Birth flowers by month
Every month has its traditional flowers. Find yours, what it meant to the Victorians, and how to grow it.
- Januarycarnation and snowdropYour month
- Februaryviolet and primroseYour month
- Marchdaffodil and jonquilYour month
- Aprildaisy and sweet peaYour month
- Maylily of the valley and hawthornYour month
- Junerose and honeysuckleYour month
- Julylarkspur and water lilyYour month
- Augustgladiolus and poppyYour month
- Septemberaster and morning gloryYour month
- Octobermarigold and cosmosYour month
- NovemberchrysanthemumYour month
- Decembernarcissus and hollyYour month
What are birth flowers?
Birth flowers are a tradition of giving each month its own flowers, much like birthstones. They aren’t set by any one authority, so lists vary a little. The ones here are the flowers most current US and UK lists agree on. November is the odd one out, with the chrysanthemum alone.
The language of flowers
In the 1800s, flower dictionaries gave nearly every flower a meaning, so a bouquet could carry a message. The meanings on these pages are quoted from two of them: Kate Greenaway’s Language of Flowers (1884) and Henrietta Dumont’s The Language of Flowers (1851).
Not every meaning is cheerful. The sweet pea meant “departure” and the marigold “grief”, and we show them honestly, with a little context. The gladiolus and the cosmos have no Victorian meaning at all, so we say so, and give their modern associations clearly labeled as modern.
Names and growing notes
Where US and UK names differ, the US name comes first and the UK name follows once. Notes on how each flower looks and grows come from the Royal Horticultural Society and the Missouri Botanical Garden, with USDA hardiness zones for the US and the RHS hardiness ratings for the UK.