Birthday Flowers: Poppy

This year we're celebrating life and birthdays with flowers, and learning more about the meaning behind birthday flowers. Birthday flowers are those associated with the month in which a person was born. Some months have two flowers assigned, often tied to the availability of certain flowers in various regions or climates. Some regions have even adopted their own birthday flowers based on climate, such as Australia, where Banksia is the August birthday flower (see Aliens From Down Under to see a Banksia).

August - Poppies
(Photo by Ghouston)

 

For August, traditional birthday flowers include gladiolas and poppies. I've chosen to focus on poppies (Papaver spp.), which symbolize remembrance, imagination, and consolation. Opium poppies (P. somniferum) have been used medicinally for pain relief and sedation since 3400 BCE, symbolizing dreams and imagination. The flowers close their petals for the night and the reopen in the morning, symbolizing sleep, death and resurrection. Poppies are often given to someone who is grieving, symbolizing consolation.

Flower colors also convey meaning, which can vary by culture:

• Red - in the West, sacrifice, remembrance for those who have died in war (inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian soldier John McCrae, written during World War I). In the East, success and love.
• Yellow - renewal, prosperity and optimism
• Orange - health, well being and regeneration
• Pink - romantic love, non-romantic/platonic love between friends and family members, imagination, good fortune, compassion, luxury and success
• White - in the West, sleep, peace, and rest. In the East, funerals, sympathy and condolence.
• Blue (China and Tibet) - longevity and a symbol of the human soul's journey to enlightenment

California poppy

Poppies are known for their vibrant colors, delicate petals, and unruly stems. They are admired for their beauty, culinary uses, and medicinal properties. They can be annual, biennial, or perennial depending on the species. Flower arrangement can be single, double, or semi-double, and may have a dark center with a mass of stamens depending on the species. Poppies typically bloom late spring to early summer depending on the climate or species. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil.