Floriography, by Gina Margolies — Birth Month Flower Meaning

October's Birthday Blossom is the marigold. Scientifically referred to as tagetes, the common name marigold is derived from the words "Mary's Gold," as the flowers were called by early Christians who placed them around statues of the Virgin Mary, offering the blossoms in place of coins. Today, the marigold is a festival flower in many cultures. It is significant in Nepal, where marigold garlands are used during the Tihar festival. The marigold is also widely cultivated in India and Thailand, where large quantities of marigolds are used in garlands and decorations for weddings, festivals, and religious events. Whether celebrating your own...

Why do people like flowers so much? Here at Floriography, we often ponder thisquestion. Previous posts have explored various reasons: reminder of the renewal of life,innate desire for beauty, natural attraction to floral scents. We even analyzed themathematics of flowers in an effort to understand the appeal. (Believe it or not, that postis our most popular to date.) Another possible explanation for the perennial appeal offlowers is color. The word color has multiple meanings. In the natural world, color is the property ofproducing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects oremits light. Science...

February’s Birthday Blossom is the elegant Violet. This Birthday Blossom is regal, loyal, and unique.  There is a reason violet is a traditional color of royalty and the aristocracy.  Violets carry an air of regal beauty and kings and nobles are often pictured in violet garb.  The unique beauty of this birth month flower sets it apart from other flowers. In China, violets are thought to represent the harmony of the universe because they are a combination of red and blue, the yin and the yang. Throughout history, violets have also signified loyalty. Give a violet to someone to let them...

October’s birth month flower is the festive Marigold. This Birthday Blossom is bright, cheerful and talented. Scientifically referred to as tagetes, the common name marigold is derived from the words “Mary’s Gold,” as the marigold was called by early Christians who placed the flowers around statues of Mary, offering the blossoms in place of coins. Today, the marigold is a festival flower in many cultures. It is significant in Nepal, where marigold garlands are used almost in every household, especially during the Tihar festival. The marigold is also widely cultivated in India and Thailand, where large quantities of marigolds are...

What’s in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet famously asks, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. . .” She seems to be arguing that it doesn’t matter to her that Romeo is a Montague, the rivals of her family the Capulets. She loves him regardless of his name.   Family feuds aside, Juliet does raise an intriguing point. What is in a name? As I have become immersed in the world of flowers, I am often puzzled by the names of the various blossoms. All the...