Did you know that each month of the year has its own specific flower, or oftentimes more than one? Follow along as we do a series on these ‘birth month flowers’ and you’ll be sure to learn something new and exciting! In April, the traditional birth flowers are the daisy and the sweet pea.
April in the Ozarks…
There’s really nothing quite like it.
With spring on the horizon, the weather is all over the place.
One day, it’ll be sunny and 70 degrees.
The next, rain will turn to sleet in the morning, and a thunderstorm will roll in by afternoon.
Some weeks are rainy for multiple days in a row. Others are sunny and beautiful—but so cold that you need to break out your winter coat again just to avoid freezing!
With that being said, April is an outstanding month for flowers.
And this is as true right here in the Ozarks as it is anywhere else.
If you’re looking for the ideal flowers to give as a gift to a friend, lover, or loved one during this crazy and beautiful month of the year, then you can’t go wrong with daisies and sweet peas.
These are, after all, the official flowers of the month of April.
So let’s take a minute and explore not only the history and lore behind these beautiful floral specimens, but also what makes them special and symbolic in the month of April.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Do Daisies and Sweet Peas Mean?
For those of you who’ve spent much time here in the Ozarks, daisies will be a common and welcome sight in the spring.
You probably frolicked right through entire fields of them in your grandpa’s cow pasture when you were young.
They’re tall, slender flowers with bright yellow centers—surrounded by multiple long white petals.
Daisies carry several vital meanings associated with spring.
Some of these meanings include ideals and values like: purity, a sense of joy, new beginnings, cheerfulness, and loyalty.
Sweet peas may not quite be as ‘naturally occurring’ here in the Ozarks.
But you probably saw them in your grandma’s herb garden nonetheless.
They consist of climbing vines with curling tendrils, and are topped with little clusters of dainty flowers. They blossom into vibrant colors like crimson, violet, apricot, rose, blue, pink, and all kinds of other colors.
And they also have an unusually pleasant and potent flowery smell that some gardeners describe as being like orange blossoms.
Sweet Peas carry positive and beautiful symbolic meanings.
They’re often associated with ideals and values like: blissful pleasure, good wishes, kindness, friendship, and goodbyes.
The History of Daisies and Sweet Peas
Daisies actually get their name from an old English phrase “daes eage,” or “day’s eye.”
They received this name a long time ago because of the way the flower tends to blossom at the first sign of dawn.
Daisies are a very ancient species of flower.
In fact, you might be surprised to learn that certain species of wild daisies were growing so far back into Earth’s history that they were even around at the time of the dinosaurs!
As far as modern times go, daisies were first discovered in the late 1800s in South Africa.
In the 1890s, the flowers were brought to England, where they spread quickly due to their popularity.
Eventually, the flowers spread all across the world—including the United States.
They now exist on every continent except Antarctica!
As for the history of the sweet pea…
Back in the late 1600s, a Franciscan monk named Father Cupani was wandering the hillsides of Sicily when he came upon the very first recorded sweet pea.
Sweet pea seeds were sent to Britain in 1699. And by the 1720s, it had become quite commercially popular in Europe.
Over the next 200 years, the color range of the sweet pea was cultivated and expanded.
One interesting fact about the sweet pea was that the older varieties disappeared for a while after the plant was commercially developed.
However, in 1986, a man named Peter Grayson was able to rescue the Painted Lady variety from an Australian family who had kept it (and many other varieties of heirloom sweet peas) cultivated for several generations.
Tips for Keeping Your Daisies and Sweet Peas Fresh After Cutting
Both daisies and sweet peas can be kept fresh using similar cultivation methods.
Make sure to cut them in the morning or evening, when the air is cooler.
Use a very sharp knife to avoid crushing the stems.
Cut them at a diagonal angle, and immediately place them in a clean vase filled with room temperature water.
Add flower food to the water, and change it every two days (or when it becomes cloudy).
Conclusion
There you have it!
Everything you need to know about daisies and sweet peas—the official flowers of April!
If you need some assistance acquiring the perfect flowers for your next floral gift needs—please don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know.
Regardless of the occasion, we’d love to help you source the perfect flowers for your next special day.