You’ve heard of birthstones, but did you know that every month is assigned birth flowers as well? Like the gems, birth flowers are supposed to represent different characteristics or traits of those born in that month. Discover which one is yours and how to grow it in your garden this spring! With some simple vegetation and weed control, proper nutrients, and some TLC, you can enjoy your birth flower from your own backyard.
Birth Flowers For Each Month
January: Carnations and Snowdrops
Carnations come in a variety of colors, and each color is assigned a different meaning. Pink can represent a mother’s love, while red carnations symbolize romantic love. The deeper the shade of red, the stronger the love. Carnations should be grown indoors first and then transplanted outside. They prefer moist soil, so make sure to water them often!
Snowdrops are one of the earliest bloomers. You’ll find them poking through the last remnants of the winter snow, which is why this flower symbolizes those who are resilient and hopeful! Snowdrops grow from bulbs, like tulips. You’ll want to plant them about three inches deep and keep them moderately watered. When blossoming, they produce a lovely light fragrance.
February: Violet and Primrose
Violets represent a loyal and faithful person. If you’ve ever discovered wild violets in your lawn, you know just how faithful they can be! Without the help of lawn care companies, these flowers would be as prevalent as dandelions. While you might not want them on your lawn, violets make a wonderful addition to flowerbeds and work well for indoor gardeners too. These hardy perennials will come back yearly and prefer loamy soil with partial sun.
Primroses originated in Europe and add a splash of color to your garden. They symbolize someone that you just couldn’t live without. Like violets, primroses are perennials, so you won’t have to replant them year after year. If you give them some room to expand, they’ll do so naturally. Just make sure that the soil is watered but not swampy.
March: Daffodils and Jonquils
Daffodils are symbolic of those with a cheery disposition. Daffodils are one of the first blooms to show in spring, and for many, they symbolize optimism and enthusiasm. Daffodils also symbolize unparalleled affection. Jonquils are also March’s birth flowers. They fall under the daffodil umbrella, but not all daffodils are jonquils.
Growing daffodils is pretty easy. They are perennials, and their bulbs contain a poison that makes them naturally resistant to insects and other pests! They like slightly acidic soil and need full or partial sun.
April: Daisy and Sweet Pea
Daisies represent innocence and purity. There are many varieties of daisies, but one of the easiest to grow is the Shasta variety. Like many of the birth flowers, Shastas are perennials. If given full sun, they will bloom into the early fall and can even attract butterflies to your garden.
Sweet peas can represent pleasure but also saying farewell to someone. They are annuals, so you’ll need to replant every year, but it’s worth it for their beautiful color and fragrance. (And it just so happens certain insects like flies can’t stand the smell!) You can begin sowing the seeds in late winter, and you’ll want to give them full sun. They may germinate slowly at first, but once they get established, they’ll continue to produce blooms when other flowers have called the quits.
May: Lily-of-the-Valley And Hawthorne
Lily-of-the-valley symbolizes sweetness and humility, two apt characteristics for a flower that is both sweetly fragranced and humble. Lily-of-the-valley prefers soil that is neutral or more acidic and soil that is watered frequently but not soggy. It grows well in both full sun or shade, so if you have trees or shrubs that block out the sun and make it difficult to grow other plants nearby, consider lily-of-the-valley. Just be careful: lily-of-the-valley is poisonous to animals, so this may not be the plant for you if you have pets.
Hawthorne represents the feeling of blissful, all-encompassing happiness, a sentiment we in Pennsylvania feel each May as the winter weather finally recedes. Unlike the other birth flowers we’ve discussed, Hawthorne is actually an ornamental tree. They need lots of sun and well-drained soil. While their thorns may make humans think twice, insects and other pests have no such qualms. As such, you may need to enlist the help of LawnRx’s tree and shrub care to keep aphids, mites, scales, and other pests away.
June: Rose and Honeysuckle
You’re probably most familiar with the symbolism around roses, as they are one of the most commonly gifted flowers. Yellow roses are great to give to a close friend, while red should be reserved for lovers. White symbolizes purity and innocence, while pink represents admiration or appreciation. Roses come in many varieties, from bushes to climbing vines, making them a versatile addition to any garden. Make sure to plant and keep them in areas with full sun and water them often, but pay attention to how well the soil drains – roses don’t like soggy soil. Add a fertilizer specifically designed for roses to keep them well-fed during the summer and winter. Prune them in spring, and don’t be afraid to chop off dead or dying branches as well as dead rose “heads.”
Honeysuckle represents everlasting love. It’s a wonderful plant to have in the summer with its rich fragrance. They also make great natural hedges and are known to attract hummingbirds! Keep honeysuckles trimmed and, if possible, give them something to support themselves like a fence, trellis, or other structures. If you notice a vine going off on a tangent, don’t be afraid to trim it back.
July: Larkspur and Water Lily
Like roses, larkspur means different things depending on which color you choose. Purple and blue represent love, while pink represents a feckless personality. Plant seeds 4 – 6 inches apart, in full sun, and keep them well watered. April or March are ideal times for planting from seed, as larkspur need cooler temperatures when they first begin to grow.
Water Lily has been symbolic of purity for millennia. It grows in muddy or dirty water yet remains a beautiful flower. If you have a pond or other water feature in your garden, this delicate flower is a great way to add some color and help keep your pond algae-free. When planting for the first time, gently turn the plants over and prune and dead tubers. Keep water well oxygenated.
August: Gladiolus and Poppy
Gladiolus represents calmness and integrity. Also called the “sword lily,” this lovely flower is great for planting in April since the soil has had a chance to thaw from winter properly. Mix in manure or mulch when planting and keep the soil watered but not overly so. Prune faded or dead blooms to keep the plant producing all season. When the plant has stopped producing flowers for the season, trim it down to about three inches above the soil.
Poppies have several symbols, but since WWI, they have been given away around Memorial Day and Veterans Day to remember fallen soldiers. If growing poppies from scratch, sprinkle them over the topsoil – don’t mix them in. They need lots of sun to germinate. Keep them watered, but don’t overdo it. You’ll enjoy flowers in about two weeks and for many years to come afterward since poppies are perennials.
September: Aster and Morning Glory
Asters represent powerful love. They love climates with cool nighttime temperatures and full to partial shade. Now’s the ideal time to plant them either in the ground or in your garden pots. Keep the plants 1 to 3 feet apart and use mulch throughout the summer to maintain the cool moisture temperatures they crave.
Morning glories represent affection for someone. As their name suggests, you’ll need to get up early to catch these flowers bloom. They fold up as the day progresses, so if you don’t get outside in the morning, you might have to try again the next day. Like other birth flowers, they need sun and well-drained soil. They also need a lattice or something else to climb on.
October: Marigold and Cosmos
Marigolds represent grief and remembrance of lost loved ones, which is why they feature heavily in Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. They’re a natural pest repellent for mosquitoes. While they are annuals and therefore need to be replanted every year, it’s easy to do since you can simply pluck off the shriveled heads in fall. They contain the seeds, and you can easily store them in a bucket in the shed until next spring. Marigolds like lots of sun and don’t need to be watered as often as other plants. You can allow the soil to dry out a bit between waterings.
Cosmos are similar in appearance to daisies and represent peace and tranquility. To keep your cosmos thriving, remove dead heads to encourage future growth and try to plant them in an area that is protected from the wind.
November: Chrysanthemum
Mums symbolize many things, from youth to love to remembering loved ones. These perennials are hardy and last well into the fall. You may want to take mums indoors for the winter, but if this isn’t possible, make sure to keep them watered. Remove dead flowers as they occur and keep roots moist with a good mulch.
December: Holly and Narcissus
Holly symbolizes domestic happiness – perfect for the warm glow people feel around the holidays! Holly is actually a type of evergreen plant, making sense why it’s used for decorations at this time of year. It’s actually a shrub, so it will need more room than some of the other flowers. Give it partial shade, gently watered soil, and avoid using fertilizer unless you have to.
Narcissus is associated with selfishness in Greek mythology, but when it comes to flowers, it actually means you want someone to remain just as they are – no changing. These flowers are in the daffodil family, so follow the same steps you would use to care for a daffodil: plant new bulbs in the fall in slightly acidic soil and make sure they get plenty of sun!
Keep Your Flowerbeds Weed-free With LawnRx’s Vegetation Control
Whether you choose to plant your birth flower or like the looks of a different month’s flower, you’ll need to keep your garden beds weed-free. LawnRx offers lawn care services near Greensburg, PA, and the surrounding area. Our vegetation control program keeps out even the toughest seasonal weeds from your mulch beds, fence lines, and more. We also offer soil analysis, so you know exactly what your lawn or flower beds need to succeed. Give us a call at (724) 539-1003 or contact us online to learn more! Don’t forget to check out our monthly blog that covers other gardening topics and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest deals and offerings.