A Guide to Poppies – August's Birth Flower

The birth flower for August is the yellow poppy, a cheerful small flower that thrives outdoors in a variety of habitats. It symbolizes a variety of virtues including wealth and success, a meaning that was coined during Victorian times. Its beautiful fanned-out petals and defined center recall spring and early summer, making it an impressive flower to admire outside. Wherever it blooms, this generous and bright flower steals the show.

If you want to give a beautiful gift to a person with an august birthday, look no further than an arrangement with small yellow flowers like the poppy. You may also pick mixed arrangements that embody the spirit of this cheerful bloom. After all, poppies do come in other colors like red, pink, white, purple, and orange! No matter what you decide to give, rest assured that delivery is free with every order.

A Guide to Poppies

1. Breaking the Ice: Are Poppies Legal?
2. The Poppy’s Meaning
3. California Poppies: America’s Treasure
4. Yellow Flower Arrangements
5. Discover Beautiful Yellow Flower Arrangements

Before we discuss the amazing value of poppies, let’s address the elephant in the room. For too long, the poppy has been misunderstood due to its dappled history in the opium market. It’s important to know that the poppies in question are called papaver somniferum and are illegal to grow recreationally in the United States. They are typically bright red and are grown to produce medicine like codeine, so they don’t belong in a regular garden. However, the poppies that are used in floral arrangements come from different species that are much safer around humans and pets.

Legal poppies typically have orange or yellow flowers and originate from Europe and North America. For instance, there are a few species that are native to the United States like the California poppy (eschscholzia californica) and prickly poppy (argemone polyanthemos). There is also the stylophorum diphyllum, or the wood poppy, and the Welsh poppy (meconopsis cambrica) which has yellow to orange flowers and is easy to grow in gardens. Any of these species can end up in a seasonal arrangement depending on their availability and add incredible value to your gift.

Poppies come in different colors like red, yellow, and pink. All these colors contain varied meanings. Yellow poppies traditionally symbolize wealth and success and are traditionally given to honor an August birthday. You may also apply the typical yellow flower meaning of friendship and goodwill to yellow poppies, which adds more warm feelings to your bouquet gift.

Since poppies are found all around the world, you’re likely to encounter new meanings for them in different cultures, too. In Greek mythology, all poppies symbolize sleep, while in World War I red poppies were worn to symbolize remembrance. However, no matter where you come from, the beauty of these flowers is universal. Their circular fanned out petals are cheerful and a show stopper in a variety of gifts or look excellent alone.

California poppies make excellent potted gifts or a wonderful addition to a home garden, contributing refreshing splashes of color and beauty outdoors. This beautiful species of poppy thrives when it remains in the soil and under full sun. Known to be a fast-growing and low-maintenance garden flower, its iconic orange center and petals are hard to miss. Because the California poppy is delicate, with its petals falling off not long after harvesting, it isn’t a candidate for long-distance deliveries. For this reason, people sometimes opt to give other yellow flowers in an August arrangement, and it works wonderfully!

It’s important to note that even safe poppies like this are products of thousands of years of adaptation. Since it has survived since the time of dinosaurs, every poppy flower has some level of alkaloids in it. This means that you should keep kids and pets away from your garden poppies. Fortunately, the flower’s strong scent is usually enough to keep them away.

To embrace the spirit of the yellow poppy when it’s not available, you can select a variety of bouquets that embody the color of August’s flower. Here are some of our favorite yellow flower arrangements that you can find in both our seasonal and classic collections.

• The Spritz: For the ultimate summertime mood, pick this arrangement of bright yellows and a touch of cream that rests against bright green foliage. The golden vase amps up the bright colorscape even more, complementing the yellow daisies and mini carnations. This arrangement is just made for an August birthday with its extra thoughtful pairing with a fragrant Apotheke lemon-scented votive candle. Ruscus, limoniums, and also grace this arrangement to add extra texture and cheerful yellow hues.
• The Eleanor: This playful set contains 25 globes of yellow craspedias paired with three blue and white bud vases is an amazingly cute birthday gift. All you need to do is fill the vases with water, cut the stems to your taste, and place them in vases of varying heights. Make it even cuter with some avocado toast chocolate add ons!
• The Gold Rush: This gorgeous arrangement is a low-maintenance gift with color that pops with strong tones of yellow and orange. Since it is made of dried flowers, you can keep this vibrant beauty anywhere without watering it. Admire the broom blooms, strawflowers, and Immortelle flowers in glorious warm shades that are balanced neatly by a sleek white vase.
• The Canary: This cheerful and bright arrangement of roses, freesia, salal leaves, and ranunculus includes beautiful shades of yellow, pink, orange, and gentle greenery. Capturing the bright colors of August’s flower, The Canary is made to stand out and impress. Customize this gift with vases of different colors and add-on gifts for a personal touch.

Give a person with an August birthday a flower arrangement that embraces the spirit of the yellow poppy. Find colorful bouquets or select flowers by the stem to make the perfect gift. Don’t forget to add on a quick message and an extra box of chocolates to make the delivery even sweeter!