Rosa

Every claim sourced

Flowers, honestly

Zones, bloom windows and pet-safety for every flower. What each one means, and where the sources disagree.

82flowers
108meanings
59in bloom now
24pet-safe
I want to grow it 82 flowers with zones, light, water, soil and bloom windows, and what actually goes wrong I want to send itWhat to send, and what to write What does it mean108 meanings, honestly What grows well together Every pairing graded Proven, Partial or Folklore against a named university
The library

Each opens a full guide: taxonomy, light, water, soil, zones, vase life, toxicity, pests, and photographs of the varieties worth growing.

Bigleaf HydrangeaBigleaf HydrangeaHydrangea macrophyllaZones 6–9 CarnationCarnationDianthus caryophyllusZones 6–9 ChrysanthemumChrysanthemumChrysanthemum × morifoliumZones 5–9 DaffodilsDaffodilsNarcissus spp.Zones 4–8 DahliaDahliaDahlia pinnataZones 7–10 IrisIrisIrisZones 3–10 LavenderLavenderLavandula angustifoliaZones 5–9 Lily (true lily)Lily (true lily)Lilium spp. (genus Lilium; includes Oriental hybrids, Asiatic hybrids, L. longiflorum, L. orientalis 'Stargazer')Zones 3–8 MarigoldMarigoldTagetes erectaZones 2–11 PeonyPeonyPaeonia lactifloraZones 3–8 PoppyPoppyPapaverZones 3–7 RanunculusRanunculusRanunculus asiaticusZones 8–10 RoseRoseRosaZones 4–9 · pet-safe SunflowerSunflowerHelianthus annuusZones 2–11 · pet-safe TulipTulipTulipa spp. (incl. Tulipa gesneriana hybrids)Zones 3–8

Browse all 82 →

The year

What is in bloom, month by month

Each arc is as long as the number of flowers open that month, worked out from their own bloom windows. Tap a month.

Open the full library →

The photographs

Every flower, photographed

Not stock arrangements: one plant, in its own light, at the size the page can actually show it.

Rose flowerRoseRosa Sunflower flowerSunflowerHelianthus annuus Shasta Daisy flowerShasta DaisyLeucanthemum x superbum Poppy flowerPoppyPapaver Bigleaf Hydrangea flowerBigleaf HydrangeaHydrangea macrophylla Marigold flowerMarigoldTagetes erecta Lily (true lily) flowerLily (true lily)Lilium spp. Tulip flowerTulipTulipa spp. Carnation flowerCarnationDianthus caryophyllus Daffodils flowerDaffodilsNarcissus spp. Bellflower flowerBellflowerCampanula spp. Peony flowerPeonyPaeonia lactiflora Cornflower (Bachelor's Button) flowerCornflower (Bachelor's Button)Centaurea cyanus Chrysanthemum flowerChrysanthemumChrysanthemum × morifolium

See all 82 →

The difference

Why this is not another flower listicle

Every claim on this site carries a verdict and a named source. Three examples out of the companion pages:

Proven Nasturtium as a trap crop

Draws aphids and flea beetles away from what you are growing. WSU Extension.

Partial Marigolds and nematodes

Works as a tilled-in cover crop over months, not as a few plants tucked in. UF/IFAS.

Folklore Aromatic herbs confuse pests

Repeated everywhere, with no controlled evidence behind it. WSU Extension.

See how every pairing is graded →

New here

Latest articles

Everything published recently, in one place. Pick a shelf.

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By colour

Find a flower by its colour

Eight libraries, each sorted honestly: what really is that colour, and what only reads that way on a label.

Pink59 in the library Red42 in the library Orange36 in the library Yellow41 in the library Blue29 in the library Purple49 in the library White69 in the library Blackthe darkest there are
Occasions

What to send, and what to write

Valentine's DayValentine's DayRomantic blooms for your special someone BirthdayBirthdayCheerful arrangements to brighten their day Mother's DayMother's DayShow mom how much you care AnniversaryAnniversaryCelebrate your love with timeless blooms

All occasions →

Born in

The flower for every month of the year

Twelve full guides: what the month's flower is, what it has been taken to mean, how to grow it, and what to put on a card.

JanuaryCarnation, snowdrop FebruaryViolet, primrose MarchDaffodil, jonquil AprilDaisy, sweet pea MayLily of the valley, hawthorn JuneRose, honeysuckle JulyWater lily, larkspur AugustGladiolus, poppy SeptemberAster, morning glory OctoberMarigold, cosmos NovemberChrysanthemum, peony DecemberNarcissus, holly

The birth flower hub →

Meanings

What flowers are taken to say

Twenty-four have a full guide; the rest carry an honest one-line reading. Where two sources disagree, both are shown.

AnemoneThe anemone stands for anticipation and protection against ill will, a hopeful but watchful… Calla lilyA calla lily means magnificent beauty, purity, and overwhelming, give-yourself-completely… CarnationLove, fascination, and distinction, in a gentle, devoted register rather than romantic fire… Cherry blossomThe beauty and brevity of life caught in one breath: a flower that is dazzling and gone… ChrysanthemumAt its core the chrysanthemum means long life, friendship, joy, and loyalty, but the reading… DaffodilNew beginnings, rebirth, and hope. As one of the first flowers to push up after winter…

The meaning hub →

How we work

Where these answers come from

Named sources, not "experts say"

Zones and toxicity from extension services and the ASPCA; meanings from Cornell and Iowa State. The institution is named on the page.

Disagreement is shown, not smoothed

Where a botanic garden and a university differ, both readings appear. A single tidy answer would be the dishonest one.

Written and edited by people

The editorial team writes; Vladimir edits. Corrections are made on the page and said out loud.

Questions

What people ask before they plant or send

Marigold, zinnia, cosmos and sunflower germinate readily from seed, tolerate ordinary soil and flower the same season. All four are in the library with their zones and bloom windows.

24 of the 82 flowers here are listed pet-safe against the ASPCA database, including roses, snapdragons and gerbera daisies. Lilies are the dangerous one: every part is toxic to cats.

They are a tradition, not a code. The Victorian lists contradict each other and meanings shift by colour and country. Each meaning here separates today's reading from the old one and says where the two disagree.

Some of it. Nasturtium as a trap crop is proven; most good-neighbour charts are folklore repeated without evidence. Every pairing here is graded and the source named.

The wheel above answers it month by month, from each flower's own window. 59 are open in July; only 2 hold on through January.