January Birth Flower
The carnation is the January birth flower.
Carnations are by far the UK’s best selling cut flower. They are available all year round in a variety of different colours, as a single stem or as a spray carnation with lots of smaller flowers. As they are long lasting (up to three weeks if kept away from ripening fruit and vegetables) they represent excellent value for money.
Buying flowers online has never been easier and carnations can be delivered locally, nationally and abroad.
The latin or botanical name for carnations is Dianthus meaning “divine flower”. Carnations were originally from the East and have been cultivated for the last 2000 years. Different coloured carnations have different meanings - here are some examples;
Pink for romance, red for love, striped for refusal and yellow for disdain.
February Birth Flower
The February birth flower is the iris.
The Greek meaning for an iris is “rainbow” and the iris is a symbol of communication in Greek mythology. Garden irises come in a wide range of colours, cut flowers tend to appear mainly in blue, white and yellow. Choose flowers in bud with a little colour showing and keep cool for longer lasting flowers.
March Birth Flower
The March birth flower is the daffodil.
The latin name for daffodil is Narcissus
The daffodil is one of the first flowers of spring and is therefore a symbol of rebirth. In the UK the daffodil is grown extensively and is infact exported to Holland. With over 25,000 varieties in shades of yellow, white, orange and peachy pink the choice is endless.
The season for daffodils is generally October to April and cut flowers will last about a week. Daffodils and narcissi have sap which is toxic to other flowers. Before mixing with other flowers leave them in their own water for at least twelve hours and do not recut the stems.
Daffodils are the national emblem for Wales and are worn on St David’s Day. The daffodil is also used by the Marie Curie Cancer Care to raise money on National Daffodil day as they believe it symbolises new hope and life.
April Birth Flower
The April birth flower is the daisy.
Gerbera daisies are associated with innocence and modesty and are looked on as a cheerful flower that looks good in any location. They were first imported to Europe in the 19th century and their popularity has grown over the past twenty years.
Gerbera daisies are a perennial herb native to South Africa and come in a wide range of colours and over 200 varieties. They need warmth and bright light and are generally available year round.
May Birth Flower
The May birth flower is Lily of the Valley.
Lily of the Valley was first cultivated in 1420 and botanically known as Convallaria.
Lily of the Valley is a wonderfully, fragrant, elegant white flower often a favourite with bridal arrangements because of its sweet perfume. Best described as little white bells of flowers arranged up a short delicate stem. Lily of the Valley symbolises humility, sweetness and purity.
Mainly available in April and May Lily of the Valley must not be left out of water for too long and be kept in a cool and shaded place.
June Birth Flower
The June birth flower is the Rose - botanical name Rosa.
The rose is one of the most recognisable best loved flowers in the world today. Roses have many meanings according the their colour and number in a bouquet. For example 12 red roses conveys passion. Looked after carefully roses can have a vase life of about one week but this can be longer.
The ancient greeks believed that Aphrodite the goddess of love gave a rose to Eros the god of love hence we look at the rose as a symbol of love. The largest proportion of money spent on Valentines day is to buy roses.
The red rose is the symbol of England and is worn on St George’s Day.
July Birth Flower
The larkspur is the July birth flower.
Larkspur is an annual variety of the perennial delphinum.
It’s an old garden favourite and flowers between June and September. Larkspur comes in a variety of colours and is easy to grow providing tall beautiful spikes of flowers. You can then use them to make excellent dried flowers.
August Birth Flower
The August birth flower is the Gladiolus.
The latin word is gladius meaning “sword” relating to their leaf shape.
There are about 255 species of gladioli in a variety of colours including pinks, white, peach, oranges, yellow, red and purple. Usually available May to October gladioli love plenty of water and by removing faded flowers will encourage others to open.
September Birth Flower
The September birth flower is the Aster.
The aster is closely related to the chrysanthemum.
Aster is the Latin for star which relates to the flower’s star shap. Usually blooms in late summer or autumn although commercially can be available all year round. With proper care asters can enjoy a vase life of 5 - 10 days.
Due to their abundant flower clusters and wide range of colours asters are frequent additions to a variety of bouquets and floral arrangements.
October Birth Flower
The Marigold is the October birth flower.
The marigold’s flower meaning is “winning grace”. Also known as summer bride and was once considered the most sacred of flowers with flowers placed aroud the necks of holy statues.
Marigolds are annual flowers that bloom well over a long season and are a low maintenance flower with wonderful colour.
November Birth Flower
The November birth flower is the Chrysanthemum.
Chrysanthemum comes from the greek “krus anthemon” meaning gold flower, although this flower comes in many different colours.
Available all year round there are about 30 species to choose from. The chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan witha national festival devoted to it on 9th September.
In feng Shui it is believed that the chrysanthemum brings laughter and happiness to your home.
December Birth Flower
The December birth flower is the poinsettia.
The poinsettia is a spectacular plant with large red flowers and bright green leaves. Poinsettia bloom only during short days (long nights) and need frequent watering and to be kept away from drafts - hot or cold.
A Christmas plant the poinsettia is the perfect festive touch and as traditional as the Christmas tree.
Originally from Mexico and Central America around ten acres of poinsettias are grown in the UK annually.
