Birth Month Flowers: Meanings and Bouquet Ideas

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Every month has its own flower, just like a birthstone. The tradition comes from Victorian England, and today florists around the world use it to make a birthday bouquet personal. Here is the flower for each month, what it symbolises and how to build a bouquet when ‘your’ flower is out of season. When lilac blooms, what it means and whether you may pick it: when does lilac bloom.

More on this topic: types of flowers, the language of flowers, seasonal flowers by month.

Birth flowers by month: table

A quick cheat sheet of each month’s flower and its meaning; the month name links to a detailed article.

Where the birth-flower tradition comes from

Linking a flower to a birth month comes from Europe — probably from Roman festivals when altars were decorated with seasonal blooms. The tradition took its final shape in Victorian England alongside the language of flowers and later took root in the US next to birthstones. That’s why lists vary slightly between countries: May is given both lily of the valley and hawthorn, October both marigold and cosmos.

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January to April

• January: carnation (love, admiration, gratitude) and snowdrop (hope). Carnations last up to two weeks in a vase, perfect for a winter bouquet. More in carnations: meaning and who to give them to.
• February: violet (faithfulness, modesty) and primrose. Violets rarely appear in bouquets, so a potted plant is a great choice. See violets in bouquets.
• March: daffodil (rebirth, new beginnings). Yellow daffodils with tulips make the most spring-like gift. Read more in daffodils: types and care.
• April: daisy (innocence, purity) and sweet pea (gratitude, farewell). Daisies give a bouquet a light, simple feel.

May to August

• May: lily of the valley (return of happiness, tenderness) and hawthorn. Lily of the valley is a favourite wedding flower with an unmistakable scent.
• June: rose (love, with meaning depending on colour) and honeysuckle. The easiest choice for a June birthday is a mono bouquet of roses in a favourite shade.
• July: larkspur or delphinium (openness, lightness) and water lily. Tall blue delphinium spires make a bouquet festive and full.
• August: gladiolus (strength of character, integrity) and poppy (remembrance, imagination). Gladioli are an August classic — see gladioli: meaning and growing.

September to December

• September: aster (wisdom, faith, love) and morning glory. Asters symbolise the start of autumn. More in asters: types and meaning.
• October: marigold or calendula (warmth, creativity) and cosmos (harmony). Warm autumn colours pair well with chrysanthemums and berry branches.
• November: chrysanthemum (longevity, joy, friendship). It lasts up to three weeks in a vase. See types of chrysanthemums.
• December: holly (protection, home comfort) and paperwhite narcissus (hope). In bouquets they are replaced by winter arrangements with evergreens, berries and white flowers.

Flowers of each month: detailed guides

• January — carnation and snowdrop
• February — violet and primrose
• March — daffodil
• April — daisy and sweet pea
• May — lily of the valley, lilac, peonies
• June — rose and honeysuckle
• July — delphinium and water lily
• August — gladiolus and poppy
• September — aster and morning glory
• October — marigold and cosmos
• November — chrysanthemum
• December — holly and paperwhite

How to build a birth month bouquet

• If the month’s flower is in season, make it the star: roses in June or asters in September.
• If it is not available (violets or lily of the valley in winter), use its colour instead: a purple bouquet for February, white for May — or add a potted plant.
• Mention the flower’s meaning on the card: it turns an ordinary bouquet into a personal gift. More meanings in the language of flowers.

Birth month vs zodiac flowers

• These are two separate traditions: the month flower follows the calendar, while the flower horoscope follows zodiac signs, which do not match calendar months. A Leo, for example, is born between 23 July and 22 August and has a flower list of its own — see flowers for Leo.For the full table of dates, see zodiac signs by month.

Detailed guides to each sign’s personality, love life and compatibility: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

Other flower horoscopes: by star sign and by ten-day period

Besides birth-month flowers, there are other “flower horoscopes”. By star sign, flowers are chosen to match the sign’s element and character — see zodiac signs by month and our flower horoscope for Leo. There is also a popular ten-day flower horoscope, often called the “Druid horoscope”, though there is no historical evidence linking it to the Druids — it is a modern folk tradition.

Birthday bouquets with delivery

Tell our florist the birthday month and we will arrange a bouquet with that month’s flower or in its colour, delivered across Kyiv and Ukraine.

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See flowers for women and red roses.

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FAQ

Which flower matches my birth month?

January carnation, February violet, March daffodil, April daisy, May lily of the valley, June rose, July larkspur, August gladiolus, September aster, October marigold, November chrysanthemum, December holly.

Where does the tradition come from?

From Victorian England, which loved the language of flowers. Similar lists exist in Japan.

What if the month’s flower is not available?

Choose a bouquet in its colour or add a potted plant, and explain the meaning on the card.

Are birth month and zodiac flowers the same?

No, they are different traditions with different date ranges and flower lists.

What is a flower horoscope?

A tradition linking a person to a flower by month, date or star sign; the most common version is the birth-month flower list that took shape in Victorian England.

What is October’s birth flower?

Marigold (calendula) and cosmos. October birthday bouquets usually feature chrysanthemums, asters and dahlias.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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