The birth flowers for February are pretty violets and showy irises, as well as dainty primroses. These all start to flower in early spring in the northern hemisphere.
February Birth Flower: Violet
The primary February birthday flower is the Violet, also known as a pansy. The violet group of flowers has up to 600 types that are found mainly in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Violets start flowering in spring and can last throughout the summer. Colors include violet as well as shades of blue, yellow, white and cream.
The blue violet is the state flower of Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Illinois, and New Jersey, USA.
The language of flowers introduced in Victorian times associates violets with faithfulness, humility and chastity.
February Birth Flower: Iris
The second February flower is the Iris, a group of up to 300 types named after the Greek word for a rainbow, which also aptly describes the wide variety of colors.
Irises grow naturally in the drier and colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere but are also widely cultivated due to their large, showy flowers.
Iris is the national flower of Croatia and is one of the state flowers of Tennessee, USA.
February Birth Flower: Primrose
Another birth flower for February is the Primrose which flowers in early spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and indeed its name means 'first' or 'early'.
The flowers of most primrose types are yellow but there are also white, red, pink and purple varieties.
April 19 is traditionally Primrose Day in the UK, commemorating the death of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
Birth flower reference: Floriography Today by S. Theresa Dietz
by Hey Marnie
This interesting article covers the history and symbolism of February's flower the Pansy - another name for the Violet.
A Few Facts About Pansies
Pansy is a genetic hybrid plant cultivated by horticulturists to grow in a variety of conceivable colors such as red, yellow, gold, purple, violet, orange, white, and black. The name was taken from a French word which literally means "thought". It also has other names like pansy violet, Johnny-jump-up, and heartsease. This hybrid flower was planted as a garden flower in England in late 1830s. Pansies have huge, grubby marks on the surface of the flower. They are not easily identified with their colors but they are profoundly recognized by their large flowers.
If you try to look at a pansy flower, you will see that it always has a round petal with other overlapping petals. There are two top petals, two side petals, and a fifth petal at the bottom that usually appears to be a slight indentation. Pansies are biennials but are fortunately jovial flowers. They will grow best when they obtain limited sun exposure and avoid direct coverage to heat. In addition, they can tolerate extreme cold condition or even endure a short period of frost. From cultivation, pansies have been considered as a lively symbol in culture and arts. The round shape of the flower distinctly bears a resemblance to a person's face. This unique similarity represents thoughtfulness, open-minded thoughts and positive ones too. During the month of August, the flower of the pansy bends forward that suggest a person trying to think.
Article cont.
Nowadays, giving of pansies as a present convey that the person is always thinking of his or her lover, or that the person is all the lover can think about. So, if you are trying to decide on what thoughtful bouquet to give to your sweetheart, pansies are just the right flower. Let her know that he or she is overwhelming all of your waking thoughts.
Flowers could be marvelous gifts. So if you want to deliver some, you can go to www.sendingflowers.org.uk [http://www.sendingflowers.org.uk/]. You can also visit sainsburys flowers delivery [http://www.sendingflowers.org.uk/flowers_by_post.html].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4941038
Article republished with permission from EzineArticles.com
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