February birth flowers: violet and primrose
The traditional birth flowers for February, what they meant in the Victorian language of flowers, and how to grow them.
Sweet violet
Viola odorata
A low, spreading perennial with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant violet or white flowers about 2cm across, in late winter and early spring. (RHS)
In the language of flowers
“Modesty” (Greenaway, Dumont). A blue violet meant “Faithfulness” (Greenaway).
Growing it
Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil that’s neutral to alkaline, ideally with winter sun and summer shade, such as under deciduous trees or shrubs. It’s hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.
Sources: RHS
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
A rosette of crinkled, deeply veined leaves with scented, pale yellow flowers 2.5 to 3.5cm across, each on its own short stem, in early spring. (RHS)
In the language of flowers
“Early youth” (Greenaway). Dumont says “Childhood”.
Growing it
Grow in part shade in rich, consistently moist soil that drains well; it prefers cool summers. It flowers in spring (April in Missouri) and is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8 and throughout the UK.
Sources: RHS, Missouri Botanical Garden
About birth flowers
Birth flowers are a tradition, not a rule: lists vary a little, and no one body sets them. The meanings here come from two Victorian flower dictionaries, Kate Greenaway’s Language of Flowers (1884) and Henrietta Dumont’s The Language of Flowers (1851). Both are free to read on Project Gutenberg.
How each flower looks and grows comes from the Royal Horticultural Society and the Missouri Botanical Garden, linked under each flower. Where US and UK names differ, the US name comes first.