Flower of the Month: August Floriography

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Hello, all.  I hope you’re enjoying a relaxing weekend.   Or if it isn’t that low-key, maybe you need a distraction.  In that case, how about a little floriography trivia.  It’s August, so let’s head down a rabbit hole from there.

Flower of the Month:  Gladiolus

gladiolus orange outside Pixabay

You’re familiar with birthstones, right?  For instance, if one is born in August their birthstone is the peridot.  There’s a similar thing where flowers are assigned to each month.  For August, the birth-month flower is the gladiolus.  That’s a Pixabay photo of some lovely orange ones above.

Symbolism

What does this flower mean?  Gladiolus: (male or female) The name comes from the Latin gladius, meaning sword.  It represents struggle, strength victory and pride.  The meaning goes all the way back to Roman times, when gladiators fought in the arena for death or gladioli.

Victorian Cat couple getting married by Teagan via Night Cafe

Anniversaries:  You might know that the carnation is the standard floral gift for the first wedding anniversary.  If a couple has made it to the 40-year mark, the associated flower is the gladiolus.

Baby in Victorian pram with gladiolus flowers by Teagan via Night Cafe

I’ve mentioned how very long the symbolism, lore, and language of flowers has been around — hundreds of years.  The Victorians and Edwardians were particularly enamored of floriography, even for names.  Gladiolus is one of the most unusual flower names, but there is record of its use as a baby name.  In 1904 the Hartes family named their twin baby boys Gladiolus Bernard and Hyacinth Joseph.

I appreciate you following me down this August-flower trivia rabbit hole.  Thanks to my fabulous feline models that I created with Night Cafe.  Friendly comments are welcome.   Hugs!

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Here is the rest of the obligatory shameless self-promotion.

Speak Flowers and Fans: a Dictionary of Floriography and Fanology

Universal Purchase Links

E-book:  relinks.me/B0FK3ZGNQT

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0FK3RH7LY

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Copyright © 2025 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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45 thoughts on “Flower of the Month: August Floriography”

  4. I loved this flower history/trivia. So many flowers became names. My grandmother was Rose, and she was born the same year of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter, Rose. So flower names must have certain years of popularity. Hugs to the Scoobies.

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    1. Thanks, Jennie. I wish flower names would come back. Rose is one of the most popular. You’re right about it varying across years. For instance in 1901 Rose was the 20th most popular name for girls. Rosetta at 313, Rosella at 343, Rosemary 589, Roseanna 851. Rose was even the 845th most popular boy name that year.

      It went up and down in popularity, from 18th in 1900, to 358th in 2004. Last year it ranked 115th.

      Names are fun. Hugs.

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  5. Thoroughly enjoyed this brief bouquet of floral history, Teagan. The adorable felines are really the cat’s meow. I had a Great Aunt Violet who was probably born in the late 19th century. Hugs and hopes for a peaceful mild weather week.

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    1. Thanks, Pat. Violet is a lovely name. Okay here’s some trivia from the Social Security Administration databases: For the decade 1900-10, Violet ranked 88th most popular, with 7,844 Violets total.

      Currently: Violet is ranked as the 748th most popular given name in the United States, with an estimated population of 56,472 individuals. It is used as a girl’s name 100% of the time and is most commonly found in California and North Dakota.

      We’re looking at a real cold snap here, with highs in the low 90s. Still too hot, but a distinct improvement. Hugs.

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    1. Thanks very much, Resa. The idea came to me suddenly. It was easier to do than my usual posts, so I might do that. Hmmm. Maybe I could make pictures of fans made from the monthly flowers? Otherwise, there isn’t anything like that for fans. Anyhow, I’m “glad” you enjoyed this. 😉 Hugs winging back to you.

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      1. Oh, I like the flowers on the fans idea.

        I was thinking more cryptic, like if the monthly flower also meant I’m sad in the language of flowers- then in fanology, the fan movement or position for that.
        HUGS!

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  9. The “Sword” flowers make people “glad”. There is so much symbolism in flowers. We celebrated our Gladiola anniversary three years ago. Wonderful promo video.

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  13. I am enjoying the book, Teagan, and the information here is interesting. The first feline reminds me of our last cat, MiMi, but she was never the lady in that image.

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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        1. Somewhere, Teagan, I read that irises are the flowers for a 25th wedding anniversary. It might have been one of your comments somewhere else. Anyhow, I took the most amazing picture of one of our irises which I’m going to paint for TC as a gift.

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  15. Sorry about your Internet issues, Teagan. I love this post. I didn’t know anything about this beautiful flower and the gorgeous images and the post have brightened up my day. I hope the book does very well, because these are two fascinating topics and I can’t wait to read it! Big hugs and love to the Scoobies!

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