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If you know someone who celebrates their birthday this month, instead of the usual gift card, give them a bouquet of their birth flowers to make their day extra meaningful.  

In This Healthy Insight:

• What are August’s birth flowers?
• How has poppy been used historically?
• What have been the uses of gladiolus over time?
• List of birth months and flowers

What are August’s birth flowers?

August’s two colorful birth flowers, poppy and gladiolus, capture the glory of the last days of summer. Both flowers can represent numerous qualities as you’ll see below.  

How has poppy been used historically?

There are about 100 different varieties of poppies, some annual, biennial or perennial. Scientific names include: Papaver bracteatum, Papaver somniferum L. Common names include: Great scarlet poppy, Opium poppy, Poppyseed poppy, and Thebaine poppy.

Poppies have been used medicinally for centuries, but it’s the opium poppy that became widely used in ancient civilizations and during the American Civil War for pain in the form of morphine. It is highly addictive.

Due in large part to the famous poem “In Flanders Field,” a tribute to those who lost their lives during WWI, red poppies came to represent sacrifice and remembrance of our soldiers. Once the battle was over, red poppies were one of few plants to grown in barren land. This is why you see poppies “popping up” around Veterans Day and Memorial Day. 

But poppies aren’t just red, they also come in white, yellow and blue.

• A red poppy signifies remembrance, love, happiness and pleasure
• A white poppy is given for consolation, sympathy and peace
• A blue/purple poppy symbolizes success, luxury, enchantment
• A yellow poppy wishes wealth and prosperity

What have been the uses of gladiolus over time?

One of the tallest and most colorful late summer bloomers is the gladiolus. There are about 300 species, most of them native to South Africa and parts of the Mediterranean. After introduction to Europe in the 18^th century, their popularity surged and now their richly-hued flowers can be found around the globe. 

With their tall spikes and magnificent flowers in purple, white and yellow, they make an excellent garden border or great addition to a large bouquet. Gladiolus is the Latin word meaning “little sword” and one of its common names is sword lily due to its leaf shape. Sword lily indicates the heart is “pierced with love,” which is why the gladiolus symbolizes infatuation and remembrance.

Gladiolus flowers can also symbolize strength and integrity because of their association with gladiators. In traditional herbal medicine the flower represents healing, but the meaning can vary depending on the flower’s color.

• Red/pink gladiolus flowers represent romance
• Yellow gladiolus means friendship and positivity.
• White gladiolus symbolize purity and innocence.
• Purple gladiolus represent beauty and good fortune

List of birth months and flowers

• January: Carnation and Snowdrop
• February: Violet and Primrose
• March: Daffodil and Jonquil
• April: Daisy and Sweet Pea
• May: Lily of the Valley and Hawthorn
• June: Rose and Honeysuckle
• July: Larkspur and Water Lily
• August: Gladiolus and Poppy
• September: Aster and Morning Glory
• October: Marigold and Cosmos
• November: Chrysanthemum and Peony
• December: Narcissus and Holly