Birth Flowers by Month and What Each One Means

Everyone knows their birthstone. Far fewer people know their birth flower, which is exactly what makes it a better gift. The tradition is older than the birthstone list most of us use, and it comes from two places at once: the Roman habit of bringing flowers to birthday celebrations, and the Victorian language of flowers, where sending the wrong bloom could end a friendship.

Here is the list, and what each flower has traditionally been taken to mean.

January — Carnation

Devotion and distinction. The carnation flowers in the cold when almost nothing else does, which is most of the reason it came to stand for love that keeps going regardless of conditions.

February — Violet

Modesty and faithfulness. Small, low to the ground and easy to miss, the violet was the Victorian symbol for people whose worth is not announced.

March — Daffodil

New beginnings. The first thing to come up after winter, and impossible to see as anything other than optimism. Traditionally given in bunches, never singly.

April — Daisy

Innocence and loyal love. The daisy closes at night and opens again in the morning, which is where the old name day's eye comes from.

May — Lily of the Valley

Sweetness and a return to happiness. Small white bells on a single stem, and a scent out of all proportion to the size of the plant.

June — Rose

Love, in whatever form the colour indicates. Red for passion, white for reverence, pink for gratitude and yellow for friendship. June has the most obvious flower on the list and the most nuanced meaning.

July — Larkspur

An open heart and strong attachment. Tall, spired and slightly wild looking, larkspur was carried to ward off bad luck.

August — Gladiolus

Strength of character. The name comes from the Latin for sword, after the shape of the leaves, and it was associated with Roman gladiators.

September — Aster

Wisdom and patience. Named for the Greek word for star, because of the shape of the petals. It flowers late, when most of the garden has finished.

October — Marigold

Warmth and fierce affection. The colour of the month it belongs to, and a flower that carries real weight in Mexican tradition, where it guides the dead home.

November — Chrysanthemum

Loyalty and honesty. In Japan it is the flower of the imperial family; across much of Europe it is the flower of remembrance. Both meanings come from the same idea of something that endures.

December — Narcissus

Hope and renewal. The paperwhite variety is forced indoors in midwinter, so it is the flower that blooms in the darkest month of the year.

Why a birth flower makes a better gift than a birthstone

Three reasons.

It is not obvious. Almost nobody has been given their birth flower before, so it does not compete with what is already in the drawer.

It reads as a design, not a label. A flower engraved on a disc or drawn in fine outline looks like a piece of botanical jewelry to anyone who does not know the code. A birthstone announces itself. A birth flower waits to be asked about.

It works in outline. A stone needs setting, weight and light. A flower can be a fine engraved line on a pendant a centimetre across, which means it can be delicate in a way a stone cannot.

How to wear it

On its own, a birth flower pendant sits well on a short chain where the detail is readable. In a family piece, the flowers work like birthstones do: one per person, spaced along a chain or set around a band. Combining the two is also common, and our birth flower necklaces pair the flower with the matching birthstone so the piece carries both.

If you are buying for someone whose birthday you know but whose taste you do not, this is the safest personalised gift there is. Browse the necklaces, the bracelets or the rings.