January Birth Flower
carnation
car·na·tion \kär-ˈnā-shən\
: a plant of any of numerous often cultivated and usually double-flowered varieties or subspecies of an Old World pink (Dianthus caryophyllus) originally flesh-colored but now found in many color variations
:a double-flowered cultivated variety of clove pink, with gray-green leaves and showy pink, white, or red flowers.
Sophia Moreno-Bunge -Gardenista
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the January baby's out there! You have been given the carnation as a birthday flower. Your birth flower is the bloom associated with the month in which you were born. The characteristics of the flower may be "inherited" by whomever is born in that month. Your flower symbolizes love, fascination and distinction.
I know what you may be thinking... carnations are boring, cheap and unimpressive flowers most likely reserved for funerals and grandmas... but I've got to show you this is not always true! Carnations are all unique in their own way. They grab your attention, making a stunning statement in any mixed bouquet!
Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) rank second for the most popular commercially grown flowers and are amongst the most cultivated flowers in the world. With that said, you can imagine how many different styles, colors and types they come in! There are over 300 beautiful varieties and colors of Carnations.
The Carnation comes from the word 'Coronation' or the Greek word 'corone' which means 'flower garlands.' The Carnation was used in Ancient Greece as part of their ceremonial coronation ceremonies.
Here's another fun reason to love carnations; they are actually edible! I can't from experience say that they taste great, but they spice up any bland looking food or bakery item! There are also mini carnations used for boutonnieres and corsages and also very popular in the cake world. ***As a side note... I would try to find organically grown carnations possibly at a local farmers market if using for any food item. Commercially grown carnations will have chemicals and floral preservatives in them from processing etc.
So don't forget to get your January birthday friends a personalized carnation bouquet for their birthday! They may be a bit confused at first, but once they find out this little secret about their birthday they will be thrilled you told them about it ;) <3
-Amy