Birth month flowers and what to send each month

Each note gives the month's main flower first, then its second flower, what they stand for and what to send from our shop. The meanings follow the Farmers' Almanac; other sources word them differently.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

• January

  The carnation is the main flower and the snowdrop the second. Carnations stand for love and fascination, and the snowdrop, which pushes through frozen ground, stands for hope. We sell neither. Spring Tulips are in season in January.

• February

  The violet is the main flower and the primrose the second. Violets stand for modesty and faithfulness, and primroses for young love. We sell neither, so send Spring Tulips, which are in season.

• March

  The daffodil is the main flower. The jonquil, listed as the second, is a kind of daffodil. Daffodils stand for new beginnings and rebirth. We do not sell daffodils. Spring Tulips are in season in March.

• April

  The daisy is the main flower and the sweet pea the second. Daisies stand for innocence and purity, and sweet peas for blissful pleasure. We sell neither. Meadow Mix holds cornflowers and chamomile, two daisy-family flowers, and peonies come into season in April.

• May

  Lily of the valley is the main flower and hawthorn the second. Lily of the valley stands for sweetness and the return of happiness, and hawthorn for hope. We sell neither. Peonies are in season in May, so send Peonies and Roses.

• June

  The rose is the main flower and honeysuckle the second. Roses stand for love, and honeysuckle for the bonds of love. Of the twelve main birth flowers, roses are the only one we sell. Send Garden Roses, or Peonies and Roses, which has peonies through June.

• July

  Larkspur is the main flower and the water lily the second. Larkspur stands for positivity and lightness, and the water lily for purity. We sell neither. Larkspur is in the buttercup family with the ranunculus in our Ranunculus and Anemones bouquets, and dahlias come into season in July.

• August

  The gladiolus is the main flower and the poppy the second. The gladiolus stands for strength of character, and the poppy for remembrance. We sell neither. The anemones in our Anemones bouquet are also called poppy anemones, and dahlias are in season.

• September

  The aster is the main flower and the morning glory the second. Asters stand for patience and wisdom, and morning glories for affection. We sell neither. Send Sunflowers or Dahlias, which belong to the aster's family.

• October

  The marigold is the main flower and cosmos the second. Marigolds stand for creativity and passion, and cosmos for harmony. We sell neither. Both are in the daisy family with dahlias, which stay in season through October.

• November

  The chrysanthemum is the main flower, and the Farmers' Almanac adds the peony as a second. Chrysanthemums stand for loyalty and honesty, and peonies for prosperity and a happy marriage. We do not sell chrysanthemums, and in November our Peonies and Roses bouquet comes with garden roses in place of peonies. Send Sunflowers, which belong to the chrysanthemum's family.

• December

  The narcissus, such as the paperwhite, is the main flower and holly the second. Paperwhites stand for hope and good wishes for the year ahead, and holly for domestic happiness. We sell neither. For a flowering plant indoors, send a Phalaenopsis orchid.

Birth flowers and meanings from the Farmers' Almanac

No list is standard. The Old Farmer's Almanac notes that cultures pair different flowers with the months, and that some flowers are hard to find in some regions.

• January: Penn State Extension's master gardeners in Luzerne County give the snowdrop alone and leave out the carnation.
• February: National Garden Clubs gives the iris in place of the violet and primrose.
• November: the Old Farmer's Almanac lists the chrysanthemum alone, and the separate Farmers' Almanac adds the peony.
• December: National Garden Clubs gives the poinsettia in place of the narcissus and holly.

The meanings vary too. Penn State Extension notes that they come from folklore and tradition rather than scientific study, and that they change with the source and the era. Marigolds, October's flower, once stood for despair and grief.

Birth flowers by month from the Old Farmer's Almanac

The daisy family, also called the aster or sunflower family, holds five of the birth flowers: the daisy for April, the aster for September, the marigold and cosmos for October and the chrysanthemum for November.

We sell none of those five. Cornflowers, chamomile, sunflowers, solidago and dahlias belong to the same family, so send Meadow Mix for April, Sunflowers for September or November, and Dahlias for September or October.

The daisy family, from the Royal Horticultural Society

Each note names the months a bouquet or plant suits, matched by season or by plant family.

• Spring Tulips
• Meadow Mix
• Peonies and Roses
• Garden Roses
• Dahlias
• Anemones
• Sunflowers
• Phalaenopsis orchid

• Spring Tulips

  Send these for a birthday in January, February, March or April, while tulips are in season.

  Toxic to cats and dogs. Chewing tulips can cause vomiting, diarrhea and drooling.

  Shop Spring Tulips

• Meadow Mix

  Send this for an April birthday. Its cornflowers and chamomile both belong to the daisy family, the family of April's daisy.

  Chamomile is toxic to cats and dogs. The cornflowers are not. Chewing the chamomile can cause vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and allergic reactions, and touching it can irritate skin.

  Shop Meadow Mix

• Peonies and Roses

  Send this for an April, May or June birthday, while peonies are in season. Garden roses replace the peonies the rest of the year, so a November order holds no peonies even though some lists give November the peony.

  Peonies are toxic to cats and dogs. The roses are not. Eating peonies can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.

  Shop Peonies and Roses

• Garden Roses

  Send this for a June birthday. The rose is June's flower, and this bouquet holds garden roses and spray roses with eucalyptus.

  Eucalyptus is toxic to cats and dogs. The roses are not. Chewing the eucalyptus in this bouquet can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and weakness.

  Shop Garden Roses

• Dahlias

  Send these for a birthday in July, August, September or October. Dahlias are in season July to October, and garden roses replace them the rest of the year. They are in the daisy family with September's aster and October's marigold and cosmos.

  Toxic to cats and dogs. Chewing them can cause a mild stomach upset, and the plant can mildly irritate skin.

  Shop Dahlias

• Anemones

  Send this for a July or August birthday. Its anemones and ranunculus are in the buttercup family with July's larkspur. August's second flower is the poppy, and the anemones (Anemone coronaria) are also called poppy anemones.

  Ranunculus is toxic to cats and dogs. This bouquet mixes anemones with ranunculus, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, mouth sores, loss of appetite, lethargy and a wobbly walk. The ASPCA list does not cover anemones, so keep them out of reach too.

  Shop Anemones

• Sunflowers

  Send these for a September or November birthday. Sunflowers are in the daisy family with September's aster and November's chrysanthemum, and we sell neither of those.

  Sunflowers are not toxic to cats or dogs.

  Shop Sunflowers

• Phalaenopsis orchid

  Send this for a December birthday. Paperwhites, December's flower, are often forced to bloom indoors in winter, and the ASPCA list marks them toxic to cats and dogs. We do not sell them, and this orchid is the potted flowering plant we suggest in their place.

  Phalaenopsis orchids are not toxic to cats or dogs.

  Shop Phalaenopsis Orchid

If a pet chews a plant marked toxic here, call your vet.

Pet toxicity from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control plant list

Pick the birthday itself as the delivery day. We deliver to the contiguous United States and Washington, DC, and an order placed before 2 pm Eastern can arrive the next delivery day. Same-day delivery is not available.

There are no deliveries on Sundays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. For a birthday on one of those days, pick the open day before it.

You can book up to 60 days ahead. A bouquet with a season comes with its replacement flower outside that season, so Spring Tulips booked for a June birthday come with ranunculus in place of tulips. Any bouquet can include substitutions when a flower is unavailable.