April ushers in the first warm days of spring. The ground warms up, and spring flowers color the landscape. The month itself is symbolic of rebirth and new beginnings, giving April birthdays a little extra vibrancy.
April is known for the vibrant spring flowers that bloom abundantly, but did you know that every month is represented by birth month flowers? It’s a custom that dates back to the earliest cultures that cultivated and admired flowers, with each month usually associated with each month. The reason for this is to offer a choice of preference for the celebrant, and a broad spectrum of symbolism.
So what are April’s birth month flowers? The primary April birth flower is the daisy, and sweet peas are the secondary flower. Each flower brings its unique beauty, color, and symbolism to complement the personality and aesthetic of every April baby.
Daisy Symbolism
Just like the month they represent, daisies symbolize new beginnings. They are amongst the spring blooming flowers, showing up in time for April birth flower bouquets. In some cultures, daisies are symbols of motherhood and childbirth, and are often given to new mothers.
Daisies are also linked with secrecy. A bouquet of daisies from one friend to another is a way to say “your secrets are safe with me.” At one time, it was believed that a daisy in a bouquet indicated ones ability to keep a secret.
Loyalty is another attribute associated with daisies. They’re hardy perennials with much resilience, and in combination with the promise of secrecy we mentioned earlier, they signal deep loyalty and steadfastness. In love, daisies symbolize courtship and secret admirers.
As with most flowers, daisies have specific meanings depending on their color. White daisies symbolize purity and innocence. Yellow ones represent friendship and joy. Pink symbolizes affection, and red daisies mean romantic love.
Daisy History and Fun Facts
Daisies have been around for over 4,000 years, used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians for medicinal purposes, in particular for digestive problems, wounds, and skin conditions. During the Middle Ages, white daisies were included in depictions of the Virgin Mary because of their connection to purity.
Romans believed that the gods created daisies to cheer up the earth after the winter months. Another Roman myth attributes the daisy’s creation to the nymph Bellides, who escaped the attentions of the god of garden and seasons, Vertumnus, by turning herself into a daisy.
Daisies show up in many turns of phrase. You may have been told you look “fresh as a daisy”, playing on the flower’s connection with new beginnings. Another, “oopsy daisy” or “whoops-a-daisy” is a little harder to tie in with any symbolism or history. It first appeared in print around 1925 in a New Yorker cartoon, but has been in use since the early 1600s, as a nonsense phrase usually directed towards children.
Daisy Varieties
English Daisy (bellis perennis)
These diminutive flowers begin to bloom in March and April, rarely growing higher than 8 inches tall. Though small, their pom-pom blooms bring a significant pop of red, pink, blue, or white in rock gardens, amongst bulbs, or in containers. English daisies like partial shade, and do well in cool, damp weather. When temperatures begin to rise, signaling the first days of summer, English daisies retreat until the following spring.
USDA hardiness zones: 4-8
Oxeye Daisy (leucanthemum vulgare)
These wildflowers, which can be invasive, are beloved by many gardeners. Planted 1-3 feet apart, oxeye daisies roam freely in the garden, giving it an ethereal appearance. These daisies resemble Shasta daisies, with bright white petals surrounding a yellow-gold center. Oxeyes are smaller than their Shasta cousins, measuring 1-3 inches across, preferring partial shade.
Their mystical appearance and bright white blooms make them a popular flower for moon gardens. Once believed to be connected to divination, even today petals are plucked from these daisies in the game of “he loves me, he loves me not”. With thin stems growing 1-2 feet tall, oxeye daisies make wonderful long-lasting cut flowers in bouquets.
USDA hardiness zones: 3-8
Shasta Daisies (leucanthemum x superbum)
Shasta daisies are what most people think of when daisies are mentioned. The hardy perennials are hybrids, a cross between oxeye daisies and other wild daisies developed in the 1800s. The cheerful blooms can be single or double petal, but are always bright white with yellow centers.
Butterflies and pollinators are attracted to Shasta daisies, making them popular garden flowers in full or partial sun. Growing up to 3 feet tall, they make long lasting cut flowers for bouquets. A word of warning to pet owners, Shasta daisies are toxic to dogs and cats.
Secondary April Birth Flower: Sweet Pea
Delicate and fragrant, sweet peas (lathyrus odoratus) are native to Italy and the Mediterranean region. They’re climbers, growing from 6-10 feet with support from a fence, arch, or trellis. Sweet peas are annuals that prefer full sun and rich, well drained soil. Like daisies, sweet peas bloom in early spring, making them the ideal April birth flower, and will retreat in the higher temperatures of summer. Sweet peas bloom in a spectacular range of colors: salmon pink, peach, fuschia, mauve and periwinkle, violet, just to name a few, but despite endless efforts by cultivators, there are no yellow sweet peas!
Note: sweet peas are toxic to humans and pets.
Sweet Pea Symbolism
Sweet peas are symbolic of pleasure of all kinds. They’re often associated with brief or fleeting pleasures, fragile, delicate, or bittersweet. Many connect the April birth flowers with sweet memories attached to departure or absence.
The Victorian Era, and the practice of floriography, played a large part in the interpretation of the sweet pea’s symbolic legacy. Floriography, the language of flowers, is a practice originating in the Victorian Era in which entire messages were expressed with bouquets of flowers. These floral letters held specific and universal meanings. If you received a bouquet including sweet peas, the sender was expressing blissful pleasure.
Other meanings connected with this April birth month flower include friendship, gratitude, and goodbye. A bouquet of sweet peas is a lovely way to thank a host after a visit, see a friend off as they depart for a long trip or a move to a different city, or thank a beloved teacher at the end of the school year.
In France, sweet peas are often given to brides to protect their innocence, ward off jealousy and spitefulness, and wish good luck.
Sweet Peas, like most flowers, have different meanings based on their color.
- White sweet peas symbolize peace, innocence and purity.
- Pink sweet peas mean non-romantic love, lightness, and joy.
- Red sweet peas symbolize passionate love and romance.
- Purple sweet peas represent royalty, pride, and courage.
- Blue sweet peas symbolize uniqueness, rarity, calm, and desire.
Sweet Pea History and Fun Facts
Native to the Mediterranean, sweet peas were introduced to Europe in the late 1800s by a Sicilian monk. They quickly became popular for their sweet fragrance and colorful, delicate blooms. Also in the 1800s, a Scottish nursery owner named Henry Eckard created sweet pea hybrids that bore the larger, more striking, richly colored flowers we see today.
Sweet peas get their name for their complex, enchanting scent that can change at different times of the day, or depending on the weather. They’re beloved in gardens, and in fragrant bouquets, with an appealing bonus – they deter flies! Flies can’t stand the scent, and will steer clear of any place where there are sweet peas.
Sweet Pea Varieties
Sweet peas are annual climbers that look as lovely in pots or as borders as they do climbing a fence or trellis. Here are just a few notable sweet pea varieties.
Fire and Ice
This variety is a grandiflora sweet pea that produces abundant, strongly fragranced blooms in deep pink and violet-blue.
Almost Black
This modern grandiflora variety producing masses of dark maroon, highly scented blooms that make a dramatic appearance in gardens and bouquets.
St. George
This mix of red and white flowers is long lasting as cut flowers in bouquets.
Promiscuity
These bicolored blooms in a broad range of hues including purple, pink, and white, are strongly fragranced and long lasting as cut flowers.
More About Birthday Flowers
It means a lot when you celebrate someone’s birthday, letting them know you’re so happy they were born. A surefire way to send that message is a birthday flower delivery, especially one that shows you chose it just for them. One way to personalize that special birthday bouquet is with birth month flowers. Send birthday wishes this spring with The Bouqs Company using our guides to April and March birth month flowers. We’ll make sure they feel truly appreciated with the freshest, longest lasting blooms, from the farm directly to their door!
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