Birth flower
Each month has a flower that symbolizes the month of somebody's birth. The characteristics that the flower has may be "inherited" by whoever is born in that certain month person. Every month has a flower that is sometimes referred to as a Birth Month Flower.
Flowers by month is a term describing flowers related to a recipient's birth month, and in general flowers associated with particular months of the year. It is one of a class of specialized categorizations offered by florists.
In a cultural sense, flower characteristics such as appearance, color, and scent, have relevance as gifts. It is believed that the Romans started celebrating birth and birthdays using flowers. Seasonal flowers were used not just as decoration, but also as gifts and, therefore, can probably be credited with the tradition of birth flowers. Some have been inspired by this tradition to create lists that associate a birthday flower with each of the days in a year.
List of birth-flowers
English style
US style
| Month | Flowers | Symbolization |
| January | Carnation/Snowdrop | fascination, distinction, love |
| February | Primrose | modesty, distinction, virtue |
| March | Daffodil | spring, rebirth, domestic happiness, love |
| April | Sweet pea | good-bye, or blissful pleasure |
| May | Hawthorn/Lily of the Valley | happiness, humility, sweetness |
| June | Rose | love, gratitude, appreciation |
| July | Water Lily | joyful, fickleness, sweet, magic |
| August | Gladiolus | moral integrity |
| September | Morning glory/Aster | daintiness, love |
| October | Calendula/Marigold | winning grace, protection, comfort, healing, lovable |
| November | Chrysanthemum/Peony | cheerfulness, friendship, abundance |
| December | Narcissus | sweetness, self-esteem, vanity |
Australian style
| Month | Flowers | Symbolization |
| January | Clematis aristata | pure love |
| February | Royal Bluebell | gratitude, joy everlasting love |
| March | Bottlebrush | beauty, everlasting love |
| April | Actinotus - Flannel Flower | abundance, strength |
| May | Eucalyptus | purity, wealth, abundance |
| June | Heath | good luck, beauty |
| July | Grevillea | true love, strength, integrity |
| August | Banksia | new beginnings, discovery |
| September | Chamelaucium - Wax Flower | happiness, success, patience |
| October | Protea* | hope, strength |
| November | Wattle | unity, joy |
| December | Waratah | courage, love |
- While not a native, Protea has been widely used & accepted as an 'adopted' native in Australia and shares the same family, Proteaceae, as the native Australian banksias, grevilleas and waratahs.
Proposed explanations
January: In the north of the northern hemisphere, January is a cold and gloomy month, but in non-frozen areas, many flowers will bloom in the cool weather, and carnation is one of them. The flower associated with the month is Carnation and is said to symbolise love, fascination and distinction. Carnation, which is also commonly called Gillyflower, is found in a number of colors from pink to red-purple.
February: This month is associated with St. Valentine’s Day and red roses. However, the flower for the month is Violet. The flower symbolises faithfulness, humility and chastity. Gifting violets in the Victorian era conveyed the message 'I’ll always be true’. The flower is found in shades of blue, mauve as well as yellow and cream. One must remember that an older English name for the plant is "heartease."
March: This month is synonymous with the onset of spring. Accordingly, the flower associated with this month is Daffodil also known as Jonquil or Narcissus. The colours of the bloom include white, yellow, pink, blue and orange. A gift of these flowers conveys the hidden meaning of friendship and happiness.
April: This month is associated with Sweet pea flower which bloom in a wide range of soft colors as well as two tone colors. It is said to symbolize pleasure or good-bye. In the Victorian era, these flowers formed a part of the bouquet which was sent to someone to convey gratefulness.
May: The month of May is associated with the Lily of the valley flower. It is generally white in colour. The flower conveys sweetness and humility. In the Victorian era, it was given to convey the romantic message ‘you have made my life complete’
June: Rose is the flower of this month. Though roses are available in many colors from red to pink to white to yellow, all with their own special meanings, the underlying message the flowers convey is that of love and passion.
July: Larkspur is the flower for July. With its simple form, feelings of open heart and ardent attachment are attributed to it.
August: The flower for this month is the Gladiolus. It blooms in a variety of colours like red, pink, white, yellow and orange. It stands for sincerity and symbolises strength of character.
September: Aster or September flower is the flower for this month. It is found in a number of colours – pink, red, white, lilac and mauve. The name of the flower which looks like a star is derived from the Greek word for star. The flower symbolises love, faith, wisdom and colour.
October: Marigold or Calendula is the flower associated with October. For the Hindus, the month of October is associated with festivals like Dusshera and Diwali and Marigold, although a relatively recent introduced flower from the New World, has come to be an auspicious flower is part of religious ceremonies. However, in the English culture, marigold stands for sorrow and sympathy, perhaps derivative of its original symbolic association with death in the traditions of Mexico, as in the Day of the Dead, parallel to the Lily in Europe.
November: Chrysanthemum, which stands for cheerfulness and love, is associated with the month of November. According to Feng Shui, Chrysanthemums bring happiness and laughter in the house.
December: Poinsettia. These flowers are typically associated with Christmas. While considered by the ancient Aztecs to be symbols of purity, in today's language of flowers, red, white or pink poinsettias, the December birth flower, symbolize good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration.