Birth flowers by month

Birth flowers by month, at a glance

These are the birth flowers most British florists use. The custom has no single source, and lists from other countries differ for some months, but the pairs below are the ones you will see on most cards and prints in the UK.

• January: carnation and snowdrop
• February: violet and iris
• March: daffodil and jonquil
• April: daisy and sweet pea
• May: lily of the valley and hawthorn
• 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 narcissus

January birth flowers: carnation and snowdrop

Snowdrops are the first bulbs of the year in most British gardens, often through frost or snow. Carnations are the florist half of the pair, and the one in a January bouquet. See the January birth flower print.

February birth flowers: violet and iris

Sweet violets flower low under hedges and in lawns from late winter, and the small early irises, Iris reticulata, come up in pots and rock gardens at the same time. See the February birth flower print.

March birth flowers: daffodil and jonquil

March is the daffodil month. The jonquil is a daffodil too, a scented narcissus with several small flowers to a stem. See the March birth flower print.

April birth flowers: daisy and sweet pea

Daisies are in every lawn by April. Sweet peas will not flower until summer, but April is when the young plants go out against their canes. See the April birth flower print.

May birth flowers: lily of the valley and hawthorn

Lily of the valley flowers in shade in May, and hawthorn hedges turn white with blossom, which is why the old name for hawthorn is may. See the May birth flower print.

June birth flowers: rose and honeysuckle

June is the month most garden roses reach their first and biggest flush, with honeysuckle on the fence beside them. See the June birth flower print.

July birth flowers: delphinium and water lily

Tall delphiniums are the backbone of a July border, and water lilies open on garden ponds in the warmest weeks of the year. See the July birth flower print.

August birth flowers: gladiolus and poppy

Gladioli flower in late summer from corms planted in spring. The poppy has gone over by August in most gardens, but its seed heads stay. See the August birth flower print.

September birth flowers: aster and morning glory

Asters, the Michaelmas daisies, are at their best in September and feed the last butterflies of the year. Morning glory climbs and flowers until the first frost. See the September birth flower print.

October birth flowers: marigold and cosmos

Marigolds and cosmos keep flowering into October if they are deadheaded, and stop only when the first frost blackens them. See the October birth flower print.

November birth flowers: chrysanthemum

November has a single flower. Chrysanthemums flower in autumn, and the hardy garden kinds carry on until the weather turns properly cold. See the November birth flower print.

December birth flowers: holly and narcissus

Holly is the December plant in every sense, and paperwhite narcissus is the bulb most people grow indoors to flower for Christmas. See the December birth flower print.

Where birth flowers come from

There is no founding document. Flower symbolism grew through the Victorian flower books, which our flower meanings guide looks at, and those books disagreed with each other. The month lists came later and settled differently from country to country. Treat a birth flower as a nice way to mark a month, not as a rule.

A birth flower as a gift

A birth flower suits a birthday, a new baby or a christening, because it marks the month without needing a name. Our birth flower prints paint each month's pair together, and two months side by side in matching frames make a gift for a couple. If they grow the flower themselves, a print of their own garden in that month may mean more: see personalised garden prints.