What is the October birth flower?

The marigold, with the cosmos as the second October birth flower. Some lists name only one of the two.

What does the marigold flower mean?

Warmth, creativity and remembrance. It's the flower of Día de los Muertos in Mexico and is widely used in garlands in India. In the Victorian language of flowers it could mean grief or jealousy.

What does the cosmos flower mean?

Harmony, order and peace, from the Greek word kosmos. The chocolate cosmos, a deep maroon variety, has a faint chocolate scent.

What are good October birthday flowers?

Autumn-coloured bouquets in orange, gold, bronze and burgundy: chrysanthemums, gerberas, dahlias, roses and Peruvian lilies. They echo the marigold and cosmos, which florists rarely stock.

Can I get marigolds or cosmos in a bouquet?

Rarely. Cosmos are too delicate to travel well, and florists in Canada seldom stock cut marigolds, so a florist will usually match their colours with sturdier fall flowers instead.

October Birth Flower: Marigold & Cosmos Meaning

October's birth flowers are the marigold and the cosmos. Both are garden flowers at heart: the marigold in its orange and gold, the cosmos on tall, airy stems in pink, white and crimson. Both keep blooming in Canadian gardens until the first hard frost, which is how they came to stand for the month.

This guide covers what each flower means, why neither one turns up in a florist's cooler, and how to send a warm, fall-coloured October birthday bouquet, including on Thanksgiving weekend. For the marigold's full story, see our marigold flower meaning guide.

What is the birth flower for October?

The marigold is the traditional October birth flower, and the cosmos is the second. Some lists name only one of the two, so you'll see either.

Two different plants share the name marigold. French and African marigolds (Tagetes) are the bedding plants with pompom flowers and strong-smelling leaves, originally from the Americas. The pot marigold (Calendula) is a European flower with flat, daisy-like blooms, long used in cooking and skin balms. Either can stand for October.

Marigold flower meaning

The marigold stands for warmth, creativity and remembrance. In Mexico, orange marigolds called cempasúchil are the flower of Día de los Muertos on November 1 and 2. Families lay petal paths and decorate altars with them, since their colour and scent are said to guide the spirits of loved ones home. In India, strings of marigolds decorate homes, temples and weddings, and they're especially common around Diwali.

The Victorian language of flowers gave the marigold a darker reading, grief or jealousy, but that meaning has mostly faded. Today it's seen as a sunny, generous flower, a good match for someone who brings warmth wherever they go.

Cosmos flower meaning

Cosmos stand for harmony, order and peace. The name comes from the Greek kosmos, meaning order or an ordered universe, and the story goes that Spanish priests in Mexico named the flower for its evenly spaced petals. Cosmos are native to Mexico, like their cousin the dahlia, and both belong to the daisy family.

There's even a cosmos that smells of chocolate. The chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) has deep maroon flowers with a warm, cocoa-like scent, a fun detail for an October birthday card.

Why florists rarely send marigolds or cosmos

Neither flower is a regular part of a florist's range in Canada. Cosmos are delicate: their thin stems and petals last only a few days once cut and bruise easily on the way. Cut marigolds hold up better, but their strong-smelling leaves keep them out of most bouquets, and florists seldom stock them. A local florist can still capture both flowers with what's in season in October:

Orange and gold for the marigold: chrysanthemums, gerbera daisies, roses and lilies in orange, gold and bronze. Our chrysanthemum guide shows the many shapes mums come in.
Dahlias for the cosmos: its close cousin, with the same open, daisy-family face on a sturdier stem.
Burgundy and deep red for chocolate cosmos: burgundy mini carnations, deep red roses and dark mums.

October birthdays and Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October, which in 2027 is October 11. An October birthday close to it can easily get folded into the turkey dinner, so a little planning helps:

Order for Saturday if the family gathers on Thanksgiving Sunday, since there's no Sunday delivery.
Check the date at checkout if you're aiming for Thanksgiving Monday itself.
Make the birthday clear. A birthday card or balloon keeps a fall bouquet from reading as a hostess gift. Our Thanksgiving collection suits someone who loves the season.

Choosing an October birthday bouquet

October is the easiest month to match the birth flowers' colours, since florists are working with autumn palettes anyway. A few to start with:

Bronze and orange. The Autumn Roads Bouquet mixes bronze chrysanthemums, orange Peruvian lilies and butterscotch daisies with dried wheat, marigold colours in a longer-lasting form.
Peach and burgundy. The Golden Autumn Bouquet pairs peach spray roses with burgundy mini carnations and butterscotch mums, a nod to chocolate cosmos.
Bright orange. Orange Delight keeps it simple with Asiatic lilies, orange alstroemeria, orange mini carnations and peach hypericum.
More orange. Browse our orange flowers for the full range.

If there's a cat in the house, skip lily arrangements like Orange Delight, since lilies are highly toxic to cats, and remember that chrysanthemums are mildly toxic to cats and dogs too. Our flowers safe for cats list has alternatives. The upside of a mum-heavy fall bouquet is vase life: chrysanthemums often last two to three weeks, as our vase life guide explains.

What to write on the card

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

"Happy birthday! Marigolds stand for warmth, and nobody brings more of it than you."
"Cosmos means harmony. Here's to a peaceful, happy year ahead."
"All the colours of October, for my favourite October person."
"Something to be thankful for this month: you. Happy birthday!"

Sending an October 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 October comes the September birth flower, the aster, with the morning glory. After it comes the November birth flower, the chrysanthemum, which carries October's warm colours into the late fall. All twelve are in our birth month flowers guide.