The February birth flower growing instructions and the meanings of each flower can help you decide which ones you want to grow or send for a birthday flower. The February flowers violet, iris, and primrose are special ways to celebrate a February birthday.
Violet February Birth Flower
If you're looking for a low ground, perennial flower, the violet (genus Viola) makes a great evergreen ground cover. The violet has several methods for propagating.
Violet Colors
There are more than 500 viola genus species. In fact, most people think of violets as being strictly purple/blue flowers. However, some violet varieties are cream colored or yellow. The violet variety, horned violet, is often mistaken for a pansy since pansies are in the viola family.
Best Garden Spots for Planting Violets
The best locations in your garden for planting violets are just about any area in your garden. This beautfiul groundcover also provides benefits to ecosystems. The violet seeds are in high demand with various animals and ants, especially. Violets are low growing with only a 3"-6" height.
Specific environment requirements include:
- Sunny spots are ideal for violets, but violets love being in a woodland environment that offers partial sun.
- Damp but well-drained soil that has good organic material is desirable.
- Violets bloom from fall through spring, depending on winter environment.
How to Plant Violet February Birth Flower
You can plant violets anytime from spring to fall. It's easy to plant and grow violets. These self-propagating flowers will continue to spread once they're established.
- Plant violets by broadcasting the seeds over your flower bed.
- Lightly cover the seeds with any seedling soil mix.
- Be careful not to displace the seeds when you sprinkle water over the soil.
- Keep the bed moist until the seedlings emerge.
- Continue to water just enough to keep the soil slightly moist.
- Thin overcrowded seedlings by leaving 1" to 1.5" between plants.
How Violets Propagate
Violets have underground rhizomes that allow the plant to spread out. This delicate flower also has a built-in safeguard to ensure it propagates with two seed dispersal methods. One dispersal is via ants and the other is from unopened buds close to the ground spitting out seeds.
Violet Care and Maintenance
Violets are mostly maintenance free. You may need to water during severe droughts.
Violet Pests and Diseases
The biggest disease threat to violets is Septoria, leaf black spots caused by fungi. The remedy is to remove all of the diseased leaves, thin the plants to increase better air flow, and not water using overhead methods. The biggest pests are slugs and snails. These can be controlled by applying diatomaceous earth around the plants, or other slug control methods.
Giving Violets for February Birth Flower
If you wish to give a great February birth flower, violets make a beautiful choice. You may want to include a tale of Greek mythology with your gift.
Greek Mythology About Origins of the Violet Flower
There are several Greek myths about how violets were created. One states Greek god Attis was gored by a wild boar and died. Violets grew where his blood drench the ground. Violets were revered as being sacred to Ares, god of war. Another Greek myth claims that Artemis turned one of her nymphs into a violet to protect her virtue from the amorous attentions of the god Apollo.
February Flower Symbolic Meanings for Giving Violets
Many legends tell of volunteer violets emerging from the graves of virgins. The violet is a symbol of the Christian Virgin Mary. The Christian meaning of violets is humility and modesty. Other meanings of violets include faithfulness, spiritual wisdom, and mourning.
Iris February Birth Flower
Hummingbirds and butterflies love irises. Most iris flowers bloom in June, early summer. However, some varieties bloom in late summer. Irises make a great cut flower to grow in your garden.
Description of Popular Iris Flowers
With over 300 iris species, you are sure to find a few you want to plant in your garden. You can expect a six-petal blossom with three outer petals that hang down. These are called falls while the other three petals stand upright and are known as standards.
Bearded Iris
The bearded iris (Iris germanica) is a very popular choice of gardeners wanting a showy tall flower. This iris variety is around 28" tall, some grow taller. The bearded iris is distinctive thanks to its soft hairlike membranes that sprout from the center of the falls.
Crested Iris
You may prefer a smaller flower or wish to have more than one type of iris in your garden. The crested iris (Iris cristata) has smaller petals and the hairs form a kind of ridge often referred to as a comb.
Iris Colors
Iris is typically a purple to blue purple colored flower. However, there are other colors available, such pink, pale blue, yellow, and a deep mauve.
How to Grow Iris Flowers
The best times to plant irises are usually late summer or early fall. You'll have the best results with bearded irises if you plant them in the fall, since their dormant period is usually mid-summer.
Sun Requirements for Irises
While iris plants can survive with as little as six hours of sunlight, the plant will thrive when planted, so they receive a full day of sunlight. If your plants don't receive adequate sun, they will fail to bloom properly or at all. Most gardeners have a dedicated bed just for irises to avoid overcrowding and taller plants blotting out the sunlight.
Iris Soil Requirement
You need to prepare fertile soil that is slightly acidic. However, if your soil pH level is neutral, irises will do find without amending the soil.
Moist Soil Most of Time
Irises need good draining soil. The soil needs to be moist, but the plants can't survive in standing or overly wet soil.
How to Plant Irises
When you plant iris rhizomes, you want to loosen the soil at least 12" deep. You can mix a couple of inches of compost into the soil prior to planting.
Bareroot Iris Plants
Most iris plants are sold as bareroot. These contain rhizomes that will be planted just below the soil line.
- Dig a 4"-6" deep hole that is about 8"-10" in diameter.
- Use the soil to build a mound in the center of the hole.
- Build the mound so it is level with the soil line.
- Plant three rhizomes together on top of the mound.
- Position the plant so the leaves serve as a backdrop to the flower when you face the garden spot.
- Spread the roots of the rhizomes to fall over the sides of the mound.
- Space the holes with three rhizomes each about 1' to 2' apart.
- Cover the roots and mound the soil slightly behind the leaves for added support.
- Add just enough soil over the rhizomes to barely cover them.
- Don't add mulch.
- Water generously being careful not to displace the soil.
- The irises will emerge and grow in circular patterns as the rhizomes spread out and eventually will fill in the spaces between the plantings.
- You can divide the rhizomes every 2-4 years as needed.
Watering Your Iris Garden
You want to keep the irises watered in a consistent manner. Never over water since the rhizomes will easily rot in too much moisture.
Fertilize Irises Each Spring
Using a flower fertilizer, you can fertilize irises in the spring. If your iris variety produces more than one bloom cycle, you need to fertilize after the first blooms fade. To promote blooming, be sure to deadhead spent blooms. When the blooming season is over, you need to cut the stems to the ground. Don't cut the leaves since they store energy for the next season's growth.
Iris Pests and Diseases
Iris borers are the biggest pest and carve out dark vertical lines in the leaves. Fungal diseases, such as blight, rust, or mold often appear when the rhizomes are rotting. Some pests include caterpillars, slugs and snails as well as aphids and spider mites.
Send Iris Flowers for Birthday
Gifting irises to someone with a February birthday conveys the message of faith and hope. Other meanings for this gorgeous flower include courage, wisdom, and admiration. When you give someone irises, you are professing a deep love for the person.
Iris and Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Iris was the messenger of the gods and was the rainbow personified. She had a twin sister who betrayed the Olympian gods by becoming a messenger for the Titans.
Primrose February Birth Flower
There are over 400 species of the Primrose (Primula vulgaris). Primroses are easy to grow and are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring. The plants will bloom throughout the summer growing season and in milder climates into fall.
Primrose Description
The primrose grows between 4" to 12" tall. The green leaves have a tongue like shape with a textured wrinkly surface. The uneven edges of the leaves add to the overall rosette shape the leaves create to nestle the flowers in their center.
Primrose Colors
Primrose produces a yellow flower. However, you'll find a wide range of hybrid primrose colors. Some of these include orange, blue, white, red, cream, and pink.
How to Plant and Grow Primroses
You can plant primroses in partial shade. These perennials make great borders, as well as filling garden beds, flowerpots, and containers.
Primrose February Flower Easy to Grow
Primrose is very easy to grow. You can grow from seed or purchase plants for a local nursery or garden center.
How to Grow Primrose From Seed
You can sow primrose seeds indoors and transplant into your flower garden after the threat of frost has passed. You'll need to prepare your garden bed or container for homegrown or store bought seedlings.
Mix Soil for Planting Primroses
You'll need well-draining soil. You'll prepare the soil by using equal part of soil, peat moss, and sand. You need to mix these materials together, so they are well-blended.
- Space plants around 6"-12" apart.
- Dig holes about 4"-6" deep large enough, so the plant soil line is even with the ground soil line.
- Fill in the hole with the soil you removed when digging the hole.
- Once finished, you'll give your plants a generous drink of water.
Watering and Fertilizing Primrose Plants
Add about 1" of mulch around the plants. You'll need to water once a week or more during dry spells. You will need to lightly fertilize with a flower fertilizer about 1 week after you've planted the flowers. You will continue to feed the plants every 10 days to ensure the plants have enough energy to produce flowers.
Send Primroses to Someone With a February Birthday
Traditionally, primrose flowers were given to a lover. The meaning behind sending a primrose is a floral statement of a newfound love. Sending primroses is a passionate declaration that you simply cannot live without your new love.
February Birth Flower to Grow and Send
You have three choices of a February birth flower to grow or send to someone. Each February flower is unique and special to add to your garden or send as a gift of love to someone celebrating a February birthday.
