Birthday Flowers for
Each Month
Bring out the cake festooned with candles festively lit. Present a bouquet of colorful balloons. Sing "Happy Birthday" but don't forget the birth month flowers for the celebration.
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JANUARY - Snowdrop and Carnation The snowdrop features an initial surround of the center petals enclosed by a second wheel of three petals. Some scholars claim that this botanical specimen appeared as the occult "moly" in Homer's Odyssey. Even today it's active ingredient Galantamine may serve to counter poison and to treat Alzheimer's disease. Better known than the snowdrop, the carnation, recognized for its hint of old spice emanating from its rippling petals, has been deemed "flower of the Gods" (Dianthus caryphyllus). Legend proclaims that it first appeared in response to Mary's watery lament as Christ shouldered his cross. Various colors give distinct meanings with light red emblemizing regeneration; deep red, love and personal attachment; white immaculacy and fortuity; and pink, appreciation Happy birthday to the Capricorns (Jan 1-Jan 19) and to the Aquarians (Jan 20-Jan 31) who along with garnets receive snowdrops and carnations! |
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FEBRUARY - VIOLET AND PRIMROSE
A birthday card carries a tender message, but a birthday bouquet memorializes the thought. For February, the rare primrose and the violet identify with February origins. In the language of love, the primrose resplendent in pink, white, yellow, and red connotes that the sender cannot exist without the recipient. Less rare, the violet, which often appears to make a garden wedding anniversary, is surrounded with lore. The name connotates “our Lady of Modesty” in the Christian tradition, thereby paying homage to Mary’s unassuming aura. Initially burgeoned with the Angel Gabriel informed the Virgin of Jesus’ upcoming delivery. Furthermore, violets again appeared at Roman burial services as flowers of remembrance, perhaps as a night-driven testament to Persephone who was gathering these buds when Pluto whisked her off to the underworld. Also, according to myth, violets grew from Attis’ blood, lost in a mortal boar hunt. Again, violets sprouted wherever the poet Orpheus played his lute. A third account tells the tale of Zeus who lusted after Io. To ensure Io’s safety from Hera’s hatred, he turned the object of his feelings into a cow and created a perpetual pasture of violets for her to consume. Then in Roman accounts, Venus, in the “Mirror Mirror on the Wall” tradition, asked Cupid what was more desirable – Cupid or a gathering of beautiful girls. Cupid selected the maidens whose subsequent beatings from Venus resulted in their purplish-blue body tissue discolorations that turned into violets. Later in Iroquois legend, a warrior once forsook his militarism in favor of praising his would-be lover all the birds of the air as well as wild animals joining the glorification. When the couple eventually succumbed to brutal killing, their bloodletting blossomed into violets. Perhaps from these stories, Napoleon acquired a love of violets and donned a locket of them growing on the grove of Josephine, who had displayed them on their anniversary and had grown a prodigious garden of violets, which the French subsequently adopted as an emblem. Marked by heart-shaped leaves, this flower symbolizes soul-searching and self-domination often rewarded by enhanced beauty. Thus, the violet’s associations merge into fidelity, mysticism, creative stimulus, abundance, and supremacy. Throughout history the violet has acquired associations of luxury with nobility often selecting the color to define their wealth and status. As a result, amethyst, fluorite, lepidolite, charoite, purpurite, ametrine, and tanzanite bear this connotation and are widely coveted. Happy birthday to the Aquarians (Feb 1- Feb 18) and to the Pieces (Feb 22 – Mar 21) who along with amethyst receive violets and primrose! Acknowledgements: https://www.buildingbeautifulsouls.com/symbols-meanings-symbolism/violet-meaning-symbolism/ https://www.vancouverflorist.com/primrose.aspx |
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March Birthday Flowers
Daffodils, jonquils, and narcissus mark March birthdays for Pisces and Aries. Stemming from the same genus, this ensemble sometimes befuddles flower lovers with similar looks. Daffodils send messages that internalize an individual’s most profound sentiments. This flower also carries connotations of inventive stimulus, absolution, recollection, revitalization and vigor but not all the same in all cultures. In China, for example, the daffodil connotes Lady Luck with its proclaiming the advent of the Chinese New Year; in Japan, delight and merriment; in France, optimism; in Wales, riches; and in the Arab world, love potions and eradication of baldness. Moreover, the American Cancer Society has adopted the daffodil as its emblem while people may use it as a symbol for the decade of marriage or for the Lenten season. Jonquils spring forth calibrated with a deep-dish center fitted with a flurry of rounded pleats that form a quasi-trumpet sunk into a perimeter of six leaves serving as the flower itself. Another name for the Jonquil is the Narcissus that commemorates comradeship and happy home life. In Greek times, the handsome Narcissus was so enamored with his own beauty that he starved while admiring his own pulchritude --spawning the adage that “he who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.” In modern psychotherapy the Narcissistic personality disorder affects “.5% to 1% of the general population, with 50% to 75% of those males.” Symptoms include absence of a capacity to participate in feelings or ideas of other people; command of all conversation; exaggerated feelings of self-worth; intimidation; self-inflated pictorializing and presentation; feelings of being above the law and social norms; presumption of absolute flawlessness; magnetism; manipulative domination and accusatory demeanor. Acknowledgements: https://flowermeanings.org/daffodil-flower-meaning/ https:/www.canacianflowerdelivery.com/jonquil.aspx https://10faq.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder-symptoms Happy birthday to Pisces Feb 18 – Mar 20 and Aries Mar 20 – Apr 20 Who also use the aquamarine for their stone. |
April Birthday Flowers
Happy birthday to the Aries (March 21 - April 19) and to the Taurus (April 20 - May 20) who along with diamonds receive sweet peas and daisies. |
Daisies and sweet peas take the cake for birthdays celebrated in April. They share the fanfare with some Aries and some Taurus celebrants.
Noted for its connotations of unblemished and frolicsome character, the “day’s eye” responds to daylight and darkness by opening and closing its petals accordingly. It follows weather patterns by prodigious effervescence after storms, thereby being dubbed the “thunder flower.” According to lore, a daisy sprouted for each infant lost in childbirth. In the Christian tradition the daisy supposedly grew from a lachrymose Virgin Mary while some legends attribute daisies functioning as a map leading to Christ’s manger. Medicinally, the daisy served as an antibiotic to jaundice, small pox, upset stomachs, colds, arthritis, nephrology issues, and insanity; romantically a maiden would tuck daisy petals under her pillow to ensure sweet dreams of love or pluck petals from the flowers iterating “he loves me” succeeded by the next petal, “he loves me not.” The final petal predicted the liaison, ultimate destiny. Existing for more than 4,000 years, the daisy has been both heralded and hated. It occasionally served as a welcome grazing crop for farm animals, yet sometimes was extirpated. Because it grew prolifically and dominated other produce, the Scottish employed workers to extinguish daisies, with the most successful farm hand rewarded with a ram. Among favorite flowers the Gerbera ranks fifth in popularity. Alternately, sweet peas, the other April birthday flower, immediately makes its presence known by its perfume. Growing from seed, this native of Sicily, Italy, Cypress, and the Aegean Islands climbs trellises, outlines gardens, and makes a lovely addition to mixed bouquets for its delightful fragrance. Often sent to say “bon voyage,” it dries beautifully. Acknowledgements: http://flowerfreshonline.com/sweet-pea-flower-history.html https://www.buildingbeautifulsouls.com/symbols-meanings/flower-meanings-symbolism/daisy-meaning-symbolism/ http://flowerfreshonline.com/daisy-flower-history.html |
May Birthday Flowers
Happy birthday to the Taurus (April 20 - May 20) and to the Gemini (May 21-June 20) who along with emeralds
receive sweet lily of the valley. |
Lily of the Valley – Flower for May Birthday
From Christian lore to folklore, lily of the valley has lived an enchanted life. Synonymous with May Day celebrations, it travels from gardens to ceremonies rivaling the gardenia in its exotic perfume suffused from its tiny, porcelain cups. An early bloomer, the lily of the valley springs up no less than 15 times in the Song of Solomon and emblemizes the second coming of Christ. In folklore, “this flower of fairies” acts as a talisman against evil spirits and witches’ sorcery while in Germany and Scandinavia it portends good luck. However, some detractors feel the flower carries the opposite interpretation and, therefore, should be reserved for appearance on graves as an honorarium. Yet again, anecdotal knowledge perceives the lily of the valley as a decoy that assists the nightingale to find its mate. As such, many brides incorporate this bloom into their bouquets where it also flourishes in the newlywed’s garden as a memento of love’s regeneration. Thus, this back and forth debate continues with the flower’s rightful place residing in the eye of the beholder. Acknowledgements: https://www.hunker.com/13426295/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-lily-the-valley https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/All-About-Lily-of-the-Valley |
June Birthday Flowers
Happy birthday to the Gemini (May 21-June 20)and
Cancer (June 22-July 23) who along with pearl and Alexandrite, receive beautiful roses. |
June Birthdays - Rose
A question about which rose a person prefers can present a thorny issue to a June birthday celebrant considering this flowers’
Considered the costliest prototype, a David Austin rose, which debuted in 2006, consumed 15 years to breed at a cost of five million dollars. Also, a chronicle maker, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most long-limbed rose reaches a lofty height of 18 feet 8 inches in Puente, California. Yet the Hills of Tuscany features the most extensive array of roses with 6500 varieties assembled at the Carla Fineschi Rose Garden in Carriglia, Italy. These unique roses offer viable excuses for birthday excursions to California, Arizona, Germany, England, and Italy, but a birthday bouquet of rose blooms is as reachable as the nearest florist! Acknowledgements: https://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/miscellaneous/flowersandhistory/history-of-roses https://www.thespruce.com/types-of-roses-4069722 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose 
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July Birthday Flowers
Larkspur and delphinium resemble twin turrets, but the first emerges as a long-legged annual and the second as a heavier headed perennial; however, both belong to the buttercup family and share the seasonal floral stage with the daffodil, hyacinth, sweet pea, foxglove, peony, and primrose.
Larkspur, also known as “Elijah’s chariot,” has earned its acclaim and charisma as a symbol of fondness and devotion (although the pink hue has been painted with tales of inconstancy). The white shades carry nuances of cheerful contentment, and purple allies with a condition of earliest rapture. Overall, larkspur portends whimsy in a blithe, immaculate spirit imbued with amiability and good disposition prone to mirth and merriment.
In the natural world larkspur has been heralded as a force against scorpions. Moreover, the blue dye from this rhizome proved a boon to Native Americans even as European scholars equated the larkspur with the Romanticism movement (1800 to 1850).
This favorite with its quintet of petal-like sepals and resemblance to a dolphin has a long reach toward the sky. Reportedly, larkspur first germinated from the blood of the campaigner Ajax, who was to inherit the deceased Achilles’ coat of mail, but when the spoils were presented to another warrior, the distraught Ajax, deeply affronted, took his own life after the siege at Troy.
Today larkspur and delphinium congratulate July birthday celebrants who also may enjoy the gift of a ruby.
Acknowledgements:
https://gardenerdy.com/larkspur-flower-symbolism-facts
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphinium
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/larkspur/
Larkspur, also known as “Elijah’s chariot,” has earned its acclaim and charisma as a symbol of fondness and devotion (although the pink hue has been painted with tales of inconstancy). The white shades carry nuances of cheerful contentment, and purple allies with a condition of earliest rapture. Overall, larkspur portends whimsy in a blithe, immaculate spirit imbued with amiability and good disposition prone to mirth and merriment.
In the natural world larkspur has been heralded as a force against scorpions. Moreover, the blue dye from this rhizome proved a boon to Native Americans even as European scholars equated the larkspur with the Romanticism movement (1800 to 1850).
This favorite with its quintet of petal-like sepals and resemblance to a dolphin has a long reach toward the sky. Reportedly, larkspur first germinated from the blood of the campaigner Ajax, who was to inherit the deceased Achilles’ coat of mail, but when the spoils were presented to another warrior, the distraught Ajax, deeply affronted, took his own life after the siege at Troy.
Today larkspur and delphinium congratulate July birthday celebrants who also may enjoy the gift of a ruby.
Acknowledgements:
https://gardenerdy.com/larkspur-flower-symbolism-facts
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphinium
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/larkspur/
August Birthday Flowers
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The Gladiolus and the poppy vie with August sweets for birthday attention.
Slim and elongated like a saber, the gladiolus reaches toward the sky and ends in a point. Perceived as a good omen, the gladiolus has impressed itself upon the psyche as a harbinger of robust moral strength. Like many flowers, the gladiolus moves through different cultures with a host of meanings. For example, in Chinese lore, the gladiolus assists the newly deceased find eternity while Victoriana enthusiasts thought the peaked gladiolus could spark infatuation. Tracing its origins to Africa or Asia, the gladiolus proliferated throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East before Dutch and English merchants transported the flower to Europe where gardeners encouraged more blossoms. As a medicine, the gladiolus root has been pulverized to yield an antibiotic ointment, and in the Congo the root provides carbohydrates as a dietary equalizer. The other August birthday flower, the poppy, has come to symbolize remembrance of soldiers who gave heir lives in defense of their countries. Although the poppy grows extensively in Asia, it may have actually come from Mediterranean areas. Red poppies imbue the poem “In Flanders Field” whereas the black poppy paid tribute to the war effort of blacks, Africans and Caribbeans. Counterpoint to the red or black poppies the purple variation memorializes animals victimized by strife. The poppy as a memorial flower usually is worn from October 31 to November 11 when it is laid on a graveside in tribute. Acknowledgements: https://wwwproflowers.com/blog/gladiolus-meaning https://www.legion.org/poppydayhistory https://www.theweek.co.uk/.../what-are-the-different-color-poppies-and-what-do-they-mean |
Happy birthday to the Leo (July 23 - August 22) and the Virgo
(August 23—September22) who along with the peridot, receive beautiful Gladiolus and the Poppy.
(August 23—September22) who along with the peridot, receive beautiful Gladiolus and the Poppy.