NOVEMBER FLOWER

The chrysanthemum is the November birth flower. Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China many centuries ago, and have appeared in ancient Chinese writings since 15th century BC. The Chinese used the chrysanthemum as an herbal remedy for various ailments such as headache relief, reducing blood pressure and as an anti-inflammatory.

From China, the chrysanthemum migrated across the sea to Japan where it was further cultivated by Buddhist monks in AD 400. Due to its beauty, the flower quickly became the official flower for the Japanese emperor’s crest and official seal. The Japanese word for chrysanthemum is “kiku” and every year the country celebrates National Chrysanthemum Day, which is also referred to as the Festival of Happiness.

The chrysanthemum finally made its way over to Europe in the 17th century where Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy, coined the name “chrysanthemum.” The name is a fusion of the words “chrysos” meaning gold, and “anthemon” meaning flower. Today, this November flower has become one of the most popular flowers around the world.

Chrysanthemum Meanings and Symbolism

As the birth flower for November, the chrysanthemum is one of the most colorful flowers that blooms in fall — a season that’s known for having only a few colorful blooms. Therefore, the chrysanthemum symbolizes joy and beauty despite the oncoming colder months.

Different chrysanthemums carry different meanings across various time periods and cultures. According to the Victorian language of flowers, chrysanthemums symbolize friendship and well-wishing. In Buddhism, chrysanthemums are used as offerings to emit powerful Yang energy. In China, chrysanthemums are commonly offered to the elderly, as they symbolize long life and good luck. In Australia, chrysanthemums are the official flowers for Mother’s Day due to their nickname “mum.”

Chrysanthemums come in a variety of different colors, each holding a different meaning:

• White chrysanthemums symbolize loyalty and honesty.
• Red chrysanthemums symbolize love and deep passion.
• Violet chrysanthemums symbolize a wish to get well.
• Yellow chrysanthemums symbolize neglected love or sorrow.

OCTOBER FLOWER

The marigold is the October birth flower. It is known for its vibrant orange color and is native to the Mediterranean. The first recorded cultivation of marigolds began with the Aztecs, who believed that the sunny flower possessed magical properties. Spanish conquistadors took these marigolds back with them to Spain where they were grown in monasteries.

From here, the marigold spread throughout Europe, and ultimately the rest of the world. Throughout history, marigolds have been used as dyes and as culinary ingredients, as well as a cure for many health ailments. In Mexico and Latin America, marigolds are used as a primary decoration for All Saints Day, where altars are embellished with these bright orange flowers. Today, the marigold is one of the most popular flowers in the United States.

With a bloom time that spans nearly the entire year, this October flower blooms from spring to fall and are one of the hardiest fall flowers. Avid gardeners plant marigolds due to their ability to repel insects and pests. Additionally, their odor can repel bacterial growth within the soil, keeping it healthy and nutritious for other plants.

Marigold Meanings and Symbolism

Marigolds are available in yellow, gold and red, but they are best known for their bright orange color, which symbolizes creativity and passion. However, in different cultures, the marigold can take on a wide variety of meanings, both positive and negative, such as:

• Promoting cheer and joy
• Winning over someone’s love with hard work
• Desire to be wealthy and successful
• Despair and grief
• Remembering those who have passed away

SEPTEMBER FLOWER

Those lucky enough to be born in in the month of September can claim the vibrant aster as their birthday flower. They provide an abundance of large blooms in summer and early fall. Asters come in a great variety of colors including red, white, orange and various shades of pink and purple, making them one of the most popular flowers for use in floral arrangements.

Asters in History

It’s estimated that there are more than 600 different species of these colorful wildflowers. Reminiscent of the daisy, asters can be found in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. Despite its appearance, the aster’s large flower is not one single flower, but actual an assortment of many tiny tubular flowers. Ancient Greeks name the aster after the Greek word (astér), meaning star. They often used asters to create wreaths, which they would place on altars to pay tribute to the gods.

One popular myth attributes the origin of the aster flower to the Greek God Virgo who was saddened by the lack of stars in the sky. Upset, Virgo began to cry. As she cried, lovely aster flowers began to grow on each spot where her tears landed.

During the Victorian era, asters became very popular. Victorians were fascinated by floriography – the language of flowers – and wouLd use the color, type and arrangement of various flowers to send secret coded messages to one another. Asters conveyed feelings of love, devotion and daintiness.

Colors and Symbolism 

Asters are associated with the qualities of faith, wisdom and valor. 

One of the most often selected colors of asters is purple. The color purple represents wisdom and devotion, and has long been used to denote royalty. A bouquet featuring a variety of purple hued flowers next time you want to make someone you love feel like a king or queen. 

White flowers are associated with innocence and perfection. They can also signify a new beginning, making white asters an ideal choice to give to someone celebrating an engagement, graduation or starting a new job. 

Fun Facts about Asters 

At one time, it was believed that burning asters would provide protection against snakes.
Asters are a favorite flower of butterflies. Because the aster’s flowering season coincides with the peak of their migration, monarch butterflies often use them as stop offs during their annual migrations. 

The seeds of some varieties of asters look like miniature parachutes, which are carried and spread by the wind. 

The delicious Mediterranean artichoke shares a connection with the aster. They are both a member of the scientific classification known as the asteraceae.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, but you don’t have to say goodbye to summer so soon. Not when there are so many varieties of beautiful asters to keep the good vibrations going strong!

AUGUST FLOWER

The long, lovely gladiolus is the birthday flower for August. A member of the iris family, “glads” are also called sword lilies because of their sharply pointed leaves and tall stalks of flowers with pointed tips. The Latin name for Gladiolus is gladius, a clear reference to the sword-swinging gladiators of ancient Rome.

There are 255 species of gladiolus and the plants range in size from two to five feet tall with elegant trumpet-shaped blossoms that grow in a double row along the stem. You can find hybrid varieties with ruffled, wavy or frilled petals and the flowers can be found in every color.

Gladiolus in History

Gladiolus is native to tropical Africa and areas around the Mediterranean and Middle East. It is believed that gladiolus plants were first brought to Europe in the early 18th century. Around the 1820s, gardeners began to seriously cultivate gladiolus and create hybrid varieties that became very popular in gardens and as cut flowers.

Around 1837, new green, brown and purple shades of gladiolus flowers were developed in Belgium. In 1870, the French introduced a newly discovered species with deep purple streaks. By the 1880s, German and other European plant breeders had developed over 2000 named varieties of gladiolus, which first appeared in American nurseries around 1891 and became wildly popular.

Colors and Symbolism

In floral history, gladiolus flowers have several different meanings. Because of their association with gladiators, they traditionally symbolize strength, sincerity and moral integrity. Gladiolus flowers also represent remembrance. And even though their sword-shaped leaves hark back to ancient swords and battles, Victorian romantics determined that gladiolus flowers were capable of piercing someone’s heart with their beauty, adding infatuation to the list of traditional floral meanings.

Fun Facts about Gladiolus 

* Mediterranean and British gladiolus flowers were used by herbalists to treat physical ailments. 

* Some parts of the gladiolus plant are poisonous if eaten by humans or animals. 

* Some species may cause skin irritation or allergic reactions when touched. 

* Gladiolus roots were used in England as a poultice for drawing out thorns and splinters. 

* Powdered gladiolus roots were mixed with goat’s milk to soothe colic in babies.

In addition to their reign as the August birthday flower gladiolus is also the official flower of 40-year anniversaries. So if your 40th is coming up and your spouse was also born in August, you have double the reason to celebrate with a beautiful bouquet of gladiolas.

JULY FLOWER

The July flower is Larkspur.

Native to the North Temperature Zone, Larkspur is a genus of ranunculaceous delphinium plants with bright flowers and spurred calyx and symbolizes feelings of an open heart and ardent attachment.

The term delphinium is believed to come from the Greek word for dolphin as the plant was thought to have a resemblance to the sea mammal.

Folklore reveals a number of names for this flower including lark’s heel, lark’s toe, lark’s claw, knight’s spur and staggerweed.

Traditionally used as a herbal medicine, larkspur was believed to consolidate wounds which is supported by the Latin name for the plant ‘consolida’ which means ‘to consolidate.’

In Greek mythology larkspur sprang up from the blood of Alex after he killed himself following a temper tantrum resulting in an act of dishonour when he did not receive Achilles’ armour. Soldiers were also said to use larkspur in ancient times as a method to control body lice.

Other healing uses that have been connected to the larkspur include the treatment of hemorrhoids, colic in children and wound repair.

Larkspur was also said to have had magical powers as it carries feminine energy. In addition to healing wounds and combating lice, larkspur was used with any spell related to the protection, care and comfort of soldiers and other figures of authority. It has also been known to be used in ceremonies honoring war dead.

Documentation points to larkspur assisting in keeping away ghosts, scorpions and various other poisonous creatures (Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs) and if planted around a home it would keep away bad spirits. Wearing larkspur also brings these benefits.

It has been used in many protection spells in Europe and one belief is that if bunches of the flower are hung in a stable, it would prevent the animals from being attacked by a predator or from being stolen.

A legend from ancient Rome says men chasing a dolphin enraged Neptune who turned it into the Delphinium protecting it from capture.

Contemporary medicinal uses of the larkspur centre primarily on the treatment of scorpion stings as an antidote. A myth pointed to laying delphiniums in the path of a scorpion as they would basically cause it to stop and freeze until the plant is removed.

The flower is also associated with gaiety, levity and purity of heart.

There are secret meanings to three colors including “Fickleness” (pink), “Joyful, Happy-Go-Lucky” (white) and “You Have Such A Sweet Disposition” (purple).

Larkspur is a popular garden plant, which will grow up to between two and four feet tall. There are approximately forty different species of larkspur with hundreds of additional cultivars that horticulturalists have created.

Larkspur is a poisonous plant which, when ingested, leads to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and muscular spasms.

The spur of the flower, which is reminiscent of parts of a lark, created this flower’s name and the town of Larkspur, Colorado was named by the Governor’s wife Elizabeth Hunt in 1871. The abundance of delphiniums (larkspur) growing in the area led to this fitting tribute.

JUNE FLOWER

The June flower is the Rose.

This flower and shrub of the Rosa genus are usually found in the Northern Hemisphere and are available in colours ranging from red and pink to white and yellow.

Early civilizations of temperate latitudes were believed to be growing roses as far back as 5,000 years ago. They were also believed to have been grown in ancient Babylon and paintings discovered in Egyptian pyramid tombs from the 14th century BC had paintings with roses depicted in the artwork.

Chinese and Greek gardens dating back to 500 BC were growing roses.

Early roses from these gardens were very likely wild species although there is evidence that selected varieties were also being grown in early gardens. The China rose was believed to have been cultivated as far back as the first millennium AD.

The breeding of roses started in the 17th century in Europe and new species introduction aiding in encouraging more and more cultivation. The China rose was introduced in Europe in the 19th century, which led to an explosion of breeding.

Part of this increase in variety of roses in cultivation has been credited to Empress Josephine of France who supported the practice in her gardens at Malmaison.

Legends involving the rose include one that states Cupid, the son of Venus, shot arrows accidentally into a rose garden when he was stung by a bee. The resulting ‘sting’ from the arrows is what gave the flower its thorns.

The second part of that myth is that when Venus pricked her foot on a thorn while walking in the garden, blood droplets from her wound are what gave the red rose its colour.

A Roman myth tells of the beautiful maiden Rhodanthe who attracted many suitors and in an attempt to hide from them, she went to the temple of her friend Diana. The friend became jealous of the attention directed at Rhodanthe and turned the maiden into a rose and her suitors became thorns.

Roses were also considered a sacred flower in ancient Egypt and were used as offerings to the Goddess Isis. They have also been used in wreaths having been found in Egyptian tombs.

The Imperial Chinese library was apparently filled with books on roses, according to Philosopher Confucius and Hindu legend tells of God Vishnu (protector of the world) and Brahma (creator of the world) settling an argument on what was the most beautiful flower when a rose was presented. It was at that moment both were in agreement that the rose “was supreme.”

The rose was also said to to be associated with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite as she considered it sacred and ancient Sumerians mention roses in tablet writings dating back to 2860 BC.

Latin ‘rosa’ and Greek ‘rhodia’ are the words that led to the naming of the rose.

Hidden messages of roses include “I Love You” (red), “I Am Worthy Of You” (white), “You Are My Secret Love” (orange), “You Are Heavenly” (white), “I Am Not Worthy Of Your Love” (yellow), “We Are Inseparable” (white and red) and “Please Believe Me” (pink

THE WAY OF THE ROSE

A soothing, meditative activity is to walk through a rose garden and to appreciate the beauty and the aroma of the flowers.

Clark Strand writes:

Roses have long been sacred to the goddess in Western culture. Roses were sacred to Venus before they were sacred to Mary, and sacred to Isis before Venus. Before Isis, they were sacred to Innana. There is a long history of associating roses with mother goddesses and goddesses of love and fertility.

In pre-Christian culture Roses were a way of honoring the union of body and soul. They celebrated both the material and spiritual dimensions of life and recognized no split between the two. To offer a garland of roses to the goddess ( and the word rosary refers to such a garland) was to unite the cycles of birth ,death, and rebirth that she embodied. To offer roses was to find one’s individual body eternally united with the greater body of the world.

That union is the teaching of the rosary as well. In traditional mysteries (which chronicle the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus), offer a portrait of our physical and spiritual journey through this world- a unified portrait that recognizes the oneness of life and death, body and soul, male and female, heaven and earth ( Strand, 2014 )