August Birth Flower: Gladiolus and Poppy, and What They Mean

August's birth flowers are the gladiolus and the poppy. The gladiolus is a florist's flower through and through, a tall spike of ruffled blooms that opens from the bottom up. The poppy is the opposite: a papery wildflower that lasts a day or two once cut, and that most Canadians know best as the red pin worn each November.

This guide covers what both flowers mean, what each gladiolus colour says, and how to put together birthday flowers for August when one of the two birth flowers is close to impossible to deliver. Our gladiolus guide lists every arrangement we deliver that includes it.

What is the birth flower for August?

The gladiolus is the main August birth flower, and the poppy is the second. Both bloom in Canadian gardens in mid to late summer, which is how they came to share the month.

Most gladiolus species come from southern Africa. Their corms aren't hardy in most of Canada, so gardeners plant them in spring and dig them up again each fall. The name comes from the Latin gladius, a sword, after the long, blade-shaped leaves, and the plant is still sometimes called the sword lily.

Gladiolus flower meaning

The gladiolus stands for strength of character, integrity and sincerity. The sword connection is said to tie it to Roman gladiators, and whether or not that story holds up, the meaning stuck: it's a flower for someone principled and steady, who means what they say.

In the Victorian language of flowers, a gladiolus was said to tell the recipient that they had pierced the giver's heart, so it could also mean infatuation. It's a flower of remembrance too, and in Canada you'll see it most often in tall sympathy sprays; our guide to funeral flowers explains why. For a birthday, that just means choosing bright colours and a mixed arrangement rather than a formal spray.

Gladiolus meaning by colour

As with most flowers, colour shifts the message. These are the common modern readings:

• Red: love and passion, a good choice for a partner.
• Pink: compassion and affection, often chosen for a mother or grandmother.
• Yellow: cheer and friendship.
• Orange: warmth and enthusiasm, the colour of late summer.
• Purple: grace and charm.
• White: purity and innocence. White gladiolus are used heavily in sympathy work, so they're better kept for that.

Poppy meaning

The poppy's meanings run from sleep to remembrance. In Greek and Roman myth it was linked with the gods of sleep and dreams, a nod to the sedative opium poppy. In Canada, though, it means one thing above all: remembrance. The Canadian army doctor John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" in 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium, describing the poppies growing between the crosses, and the red poppy has been Canada's symbol of remembrance ever since. Our poppy flower meaning guide covers that history.

Birth flower guides read the poppy more gently, as imagination and remembering the people you love. Bright orange, yellow and pink poppies feel nothing like the November pin, and they suit a summer birthday well.

Why poppies are hard to send

Poppies are lovely in a field and difficult in a vase. Field poppies drop their petals within a day or two of cutting, and even the Iceland poppies some florists stock in winter and spring need their stems sealed and still only last a few days. In August, a local florist is very unlikely to have them. These give a similar papery, bright look:

• Red or orange ranunculus, with layers of thin, papery petals.
• Red anemones, whose dark centres look remarkably like a poppy's. See our anemone flower meaning guide.
• Orange dahlias or gerberas, which are at their best in late summer, when ranunculus and anemones are harder to find.

Choosing birthday flowers for August

Gladiolus are tall, so florists use them for height in larger arrangements and baskets rather than small posies. A few starting points:

• Flowers and fruit together. The Fruit & Flowers Basket sets green gladiolus with pink roses, pink stock and orange spray roses among a collection of fruit.
• A late-summer mix. Summer Samba brings orange dahlias, yellow roses and Asiatic lilies together, a poppy-bright palette for August.
• Hot pink and orange. Summer Chic pairs light orange roses and orange lilies with hot pink dahlias.
• Ask for gladiolus. If the birthday person loves them, say so in the delivery note. The florist will use them if they have them, or a flower of similar style and value if not.

Caring for gladiolus

Gladiolus open from the bottom of the spike upward over a week or more, so a stem that arrives mostly in bud is doing exactly what it should. Recut the stems, change the water every couple of days, and pull off each lower bloom as it fades. Pinching off the top one or two buds helps the rest of the spike open. Keep the vase upright, too: laid on their side, gladiolus tips curve upward. With care, a spike often lasts a week to ten days. Our vase life guide has more.

The ASPCA lists gladiolus as toxic to cats and dogs, with the corms the most toxic part. For a home with pets, see our list of flowers safe for cats.

What to write on the card

A line about the birth flower's meaning turns a August birthday bouquet into something more personal. A few to borrow, and more in our birthday wishes with flowers guide:

• "Happy birthday! Gladiolus stand for strength of character, and you've got plenty."
• "For the most sincere person I know. Happy August birthday."
• "Bright as a field of poppies. Have a wonderful day."
• "Here's to another year of being exactly who you are."

Sending an August birthday bouquet anywhere in Canada

Flowers on Demand delivers across every province and territory through a network of local florists, who arrange and hand-deliver each order. Delivery is a flat $19.99. For same-day delivery, order before 1:00 PM in the recipient's time zone, Monday to Saturday; there's no Sunday delivery.

Start with our birthday flowers, or find the town you're sending to on our delivery cities page. Local florists occasionally swap a stem for one of similar style and value when a flower is short, so if one flower matters most, say so in the card or delivery note.

Other birth month flowers

Before August comes the July birth flower, larkspur, with the water lily. After it comes the September birth flower: aster and morning glory. All twelve are in our birth month flowers guide.