What’s my birth flower?
Do you know what your birth month flowers are?
If I were to ask you what your birthstone – the gemstone assigned to the month you were born in – is, there’s a good chance you’d know it, or at least understand that there is such a thing. But you might be surprised to learn that every month also has birth flowers.
Are birth flowers a thing?
Absolutely. Birth flowers as a concept have been around for a really long time, and the monthly birth flowers are still referenced and known by many people all across the world.
Where do birth month flowers originate from?
It is thought that birth month flowers originated in Roman times, when birthday celebrations first began. These early celebrations included decorating the altars of Roman gods with flowers, and giving flowers as birthday gifts.
Birthstones are loaded with symbolism: from the sincerity conveyed by the February birthstone to the wisdom on the June birthstone, these precious gems speak a thousand words – and birth flowers are no different. The idea of flowers having symbolic meaning was introduced to England in the early eighteenth century, by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. It took around a century for the floriography (language of flowers) craze to catch on though.
The language of flowers
During the Victorian era, the Language of Flowers became hugely popular. Flowers provided a way of conveying a hidden message to a lover, without breaking the strict rules of etiquette surrounding displays of love or affection. Every type of flower had a meaning assigned to it, and this could be used to communicate a message, feeling or mood to the recipient without speaking aloud. Basically, it was an easy way to send a coded message!
If you’d like to find out more about the Language of Flowers, this article is a great place to start. You could also check out this video which covers some of the more popular flower varieties:
Fast forward to the present day, and we now have a choice of flowers with specific meanings for each month of the year. And of course, we still use flowers to convey a message; a bouquet of flowers is a hugely popular way to communicate ‘happy birthday’, ‘I love you’, ‘sorry’, ‘thinking of you’, and many other sentiments.
What does your birth flower reveal about you?
Once you know the meaning behind your birth month flowers, you can decide whether those meanings have any connection with your personality. This is a similar concept to the zodiac signs having a bearing on your character. You can of course also test the theory by exploring the birth flowers of friends and family.
Obviously the concept of birthday month flowers is just a bit of fun, but I think it’s really interesting to consider the meanings that have been allocated to specific flowers. You can also ponder over questions such as why the meaning was chosen, and whether you think the meaning suits the flower. You might not agree with all of them – especially if your favourite blossom has a rather negative meaning!
Birth month flowers as a birthday gift
Wondering what birthday flowers to buy? Birth flower meanings can be really helpful when you’re selecting your blooms.
Choosing the recipient’s flowers by birth month is a great option for a birthday bouquet of flowers. Going for their birth flowers allows you to turn a generic arrangement into a more unusual and personal gift, and they will love to receive a present which shows you’ve really thought about them. The flowers in question will also be in season at the time, which should make them easy to find – especially if you use a local florist for your bouquet.
What is the birth flower for each month?
If you’re wondering ‘How do I find out my birth flower?’, read on!
This month-by-month list covers the birth flower by month for each month of the year, and also explores the different meanings behind each flower. Just click on the links to the relevant birth flower months to find out more.
Birth month flowers and their meanings
I hope you have fun learning about your birth month flowers!
If you’d like to explore the language of flowers in more detail, *this book is ideal – and it’s full of beautiful illustrations too. You might also like to read *a novel that incorporates the concept of flower symbolism.
Korean birth flowers
Birth flowers in Korea are taken to another level. There is a birth flower for every single day of the year, each with its own meaning. If you’re interested in finding out what yours is, there’s a helpful list of Korean birth flowers and meanings here.
More flower inspiration
For more flower-themed fun and inspiration, take a look at these blog posts.
Flower quotes and flower captions for instagram
Nature captions and nature quotes
More gardening inspiration
If your love of all things floral extends to gardening, here are some posts you might find interesting.
Easy flowers to grow from seed
Low maintenance flowering plants for pots
Tips for gardening sustainably
I also have a Garden jobs this month series, covering monthly gardening jobs to help you stay on top of things, and a What to Plant Now series, which has my top picks for flowers, fruit, vegetables and bulbs to plant each month.
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