Birth flower tattoos by month
A birth flower tattoo is permanent, and the meanings behind these flowers are older and more specific than most designs let on. Here is what each month's flower traditionally says, before it goes on skin.
By Jamey Weber, editor and developer at FusionStudios. Last reviewed .
Every month, flower and meaning
| Month | Flower | Secondary | Traditional meaning | Stone color to match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Carnation | Snowdrop | Love, fascination and distinction | Deep red |
| February | Violet | Primrose | Faithfulness, modesty and young love | Violet purple |
| March | Daffodil | Jonquil | New beginnings, rebirth and joy | Sea blue-green |
| April | Daisy | Sweet Pea | Innocence, purity and loyal love | Colorless |
| May | Lily of the Valley | Hawthorn | Sweetness, humility and a return of happiness | Rich green |
| June | Rose | Honeysuckle | Love, passion and devotion | Creamy white |
| July | Larkspur | Water Lily | Open heart, positivity and strong bonds | Vivid red |
| August | Gladiolus | Poppy | Strength of character, integrity and remembrance | Olive green |
| September | Aster | Morning Glory | Wisdom, faith and valour | Royal blue |
| October | Marigold | Cosmos | Warmth, creativity and devotion | Iridescent play-of-color |
| November | Chrysanthemum | Peony | Friendship, joy and long life | Golden yellow to amber |
| December | Narcissus | Holly | Hope, respect and good wishes | Sky blue to teal |
Choosing between the primary and secondary flower
The primary flower is the one everyone recognizes, which is both its strength and its weakness: a June rose reads instantly and is also the most tattooed flower there is. The secondary flower is usually the more unusual silhouette, and for fine-line work that matters more than recognizability. Read both meanings on the birth flower pages before deciding.
Pairing a flower with a stone
The color column above is the point of the pairing. A birthstone gives you a defensible color choice from the same month, which is more interesting than picking a palette at random and easier to explain later. The month overview shows the stone, the flower and the two zodiac signs together, so you can see the whole set for a month at once.
A note on meaning
Floriography was a parlour convention, not a code with an authority behind it. Several nineteenth-century dictionaries were in circulation and they disagree with each other, which is why you will find a flower listed with different meanings in different places. If a particular meaning matters to you, pick the source you like and be aware that it is one reading among several.
Frequently asked questions
What is my birth flower?
It is the flower traditionally tied to your birth month, not your birth date. Every month has a primary flower and a secondary one, both with their own meanings in the Victorian language of flowers.
Can I combine a birth flower and a birthstone in one tattoo?
That is one of the most common combinations. The stone gives you a color and the flower gives you a shape, and both come from the same month, so the pairing needs no explanation.
What if I prefer the secondary flower?
Use it. The primary and secondary flowers are both part of the tradition, and the secondary is often the more distinctive shape to draw. Nothing about the tradition makes one more valid than the other.
Do birth flower meanings mean anything factual?
No. They come from Victorian floriography, a nineteenth-century social convention for sending messages with bouquets. They are cultural symbolism, offered for interest, and they say nothing about the person wearing them.
Sources and limits
The meanings below come from the Victorian language of flowers, a nineteenth-century convention with several competing published dictionaries. Different dictionaries assign different meanings to the same flower, so treat these as the common reading rather than as the definitive one. We have not reproduced any single dictionary and do not claim to.
Keep reading
Every guide is listed on the guides hub. How the reference data on this site is put together, and where it comes from, is on the methodology page.