Despite what T.S. Eliot tells us, April is a very cheerful month, with lively spring breezes, warm sunshine, and flowers beginning to show up everywhere. You’ll see friendly daisies and colorful sweet peas making an appearance in cottage gardens. Quite appropriately, these are the two April birth month flowers and frequently appear together in bouquets.

Birth month flowers are typically chosen because they bloom at that time of the year. Also, in the language of flowers, they have special symbolic and spiritual meanings that can have significance for people born in that month. What do daisies and sweet peas mean for those who have a birthday in April? Let’s take a look.

A Guide to April Birth Flowers

1. Daisies
2. Sweet Peas

Daisy chains epitomize the carefree days of childhood, and these lively flowers have happy associations for everyone. People born in April have a special connection to them because daisies are one of the two April birth month flowers, with associated meanings of innocence and purity.

Name and Distribution

The flower name daisy is derived from the Old English “daes eage,” or “day’s eye,” referring to the opening of their petals in the morning and closing in the evening. Like their relatives, the sunflowers, they also display heliotropism, which means that the flowers turn their heads to follow the position of the sun as it moves across the sky through the day.

Daisies are native to Europe and temperate parts of west Asia, but now they grow everywhere in the world. They belong to the aster family (scientific name Asteraceae), which includes sunflowers, chrysanthemums, zinnias, asters, and many other species like dandelions. The most familiar daisies are the oxeye daisies, with their yellow center and white petals. Other popular varieties include Shasta, Montauk, and Gerbera daisies.

Daisies make a colorful display in shades of yellow, pink, red, orange, and white. They are hardy and adaptive and are a favorite for cottage gardens and flower bouquets. They thrive in the sun or shade, in plains and hilly areas, and in wet and dry climates. That makes them one of the easiest types of flowers to grow.

Another reason gardeners welcome daisies is that they are favored by pollinators like bees and butterflies, who are attracted to their bright yellow center, which is actually made up of lots of little flowers. This center is called an inflorescence and has plenty of food at just one stop.

Meaning and Symbolism of Daisies

If your birthday falls in April, you’ll be interested to learn that the meanings assigned to daisies in the language of flowers are innocence and other virtues like loyalty and simplicity. The blue Marguerite daisies stand for openness and peacefulness.

In some versions of the language of flowers, a daisy carries the meaning “I can keep a secret.” In Celtic mythology, they were believed to be a gift from the gods to cover a child’s grave as consolation to the parents. In Norse mythology, daisies are associated with Freya, the goddess of fertility, beauty, and love. So daisies are also associated with motherhood and are commonly gifted to new mothers.

A gift of daisies is also perfect for a friend who has a birthday in April, whether it’s a formal bouquet or gathered in a wildflower meadow. Gerbera daisies are especially popular in bouquets and will last for as long as two weeks.

How to Grow Daisies

Daisies are among the easiest annuals to grow, and for this reason, as well as their appearance, they are beloved by cottage gardeners and florists. They bloom from March to September. Oxeye daisies are wildflower perennials and will spread through self-seeding and rhizomes.

Daisies are typically biennials grown from seeds, which can be planted outdoors after the last frost. Blooms will appear the following year. You can also plant seedlings or even full-grown plants from a nursery if you don’t want to wait a whole year for the flowers.

Daisies need hardly any care and thrive in all kinds of conditions. They mingle well with other flowers in a cottage garden display, along with sweet peas, the other April birth month flower.

Sweet peas are popular for their bright colors and sweet scent and appear frequently in gardens and bouquets. Typical colors for sweet pea flowers are pink, blue, violet, white, and red, and the delicate scent is like a mix of jasmine, honey, and oranges.

Name and Distribution

Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a climbing plant that was native to Italy and the Mediterranean region. It was popularized in the 1800s by a Scotsman, Henry Eckford, who cross-bred plants to produce hybrid varieties.

The sweet pea plant is part of the Fabaceae family, which also includes peas, beans, and other legumes. It closely resembles a pea plant but is not edible and is toxic to humans and animals.

Meaning and Symbolism of Sweet Peas

Sweet pea flowers, with their gorgeous colors and scent, stand for pleasure and gratitude. They are also associated with kindness, good wishes, goodbyes, and departures. Sweet peas are gifted to brides in France and are a popular choice for bridal bouquets and wedding centerpieces.

How to Grow Sweet Peas

Sweet pea is an annual plant grown from seeds that resemble peas. They prefer full sun, and as climbing plants, they need some kind of support. A fence, trellis, or arch provides good support and enhances their appearance in the garden.

The plant prefers full sun and well-drained, organic soil. They are quite hardy, and seeds can be sown outdoors late in the winter or early spring when the ground has dried, but you don’t need to wait until the last frosts. Keep the plants well-watered.

Blooms start in spring and continue through early summer, especially if you cut flowers regularly. Sweet peas don’t like temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit and will stop producing blooms when it gets hotter.

If you, a friend, or a relative have a birthday in April, a bouquet of sweet peas or daisies will make a connection to all the good things associated with these flowers. Or you can get some seeds and plant some color, scent, and happiness in your garden.