JANUARY IS THE CARNATION - Carnations are pretty much one of the most popular and most recognized flowers in the world right now.  Carnations are a long lasting cut flower and very popular as corsages and boutonnieres in wedding and event work, work well in floral bouquets as well as floral arrangements.   Once considered an "old fashioned" flower they quite often are found in "upscale arrangements" as well.  Available in a myriad of colours -  and 2 sizes standard and mini. 

FEBRUARY, YOUR'S IS THE IRIS.  The iris is grown as a garden plant and thrives readily in the Calgary area.  As a cut flower, the iris is a single bloom on a long stalk and is quite striking in a floral arrangement or cut bouquet - more often as a cut flower the colour will be purple, blue, yellow or white - purchase when tight with just a little colour showing at the tip and enjoy as the flower petals open fully to greet you. 

MARCH - THE SPRING DAFFODIL BELONGS TO YOU - a hardy spring bulb flower that belongs to the Amaryllis family - with its center bell (or bowl) surrounded by a ring of 6 floral leaves or petals, generally bright yellow - although many different shades of yellow and white combinations exist in the garden - the cut flower commonly found in a florist shop is of the bright yellow variation.  The Daffodil is easily associated with the Canadian Cancer Society's "Daffodil Days" a yearly fundraising campaign.

APRIL - THE BRIGHT AND CHEERUL DAISY IS JUST FOR YOU - Old English meaning, dægesege, from dæges eage meaning "day's eye," and this was because the petals open at dawn and close at dusk.  A long lasting and easy to care for cut flower, the daisy is a main stay for lots of flower shops, available in many colours and variations and is a very hardy blooming plant that thrives here in Calgary gardens,

MAY - FOR YOU & ME - THE LILY - ahhhhh nothing like the perfume of an Oriental Lily, big, beautiful and highly scented - some like the perfume and some don't - if you don't pick like the scent choses an asiatic lily instead, bright, hardy, smaller than the Oriental and it has no perfume.  The Lily is used extensively in flower design, for weddings, sympathy work even silks for home decor.  The lily is grown from a bulb, thrives well in certain areas of the garden here in Calgary and is ready for picking in late August.  Caution:  lilies and cats do not mix and you would be best to avoid bringing home the lily if you have cats in the house as lilies can be extremely toxic to cats and they don't have to ingest the lily to become seriously ill.

JUNE - THE ROSE - the most popular cut flower on the planet and it is your birth flower!  A showy bloom as a cut flower, available in a mulitude of shades, varieties and sizes - grown in mass and shipped all over the world.  The rose is the ultimate in saying I Love You

JULY - DELPHINIUM, THIS PERENNIAL REPRESENTS YOUR BIRTH MONTH - the delphinium is a stately, elegant perennial with huge spikes of showy spurred flowers - showing in early summer and is usually a given in an English garden setting.  Delphiniums are available as cut flowers year round at local florists. The colour of the cut delphinium ranges from blues to purples and pinks to whites.  Don't forget to spike the tallest ones in your garden to protect from Calgary's windy days!

AUGUST - GLADIOLA, ALL FOR YOU!   Gladiola, the tall, large, one sided and somewhat fragrant spike is the flower for you.  Grown in gardens everywhere from corms that are definately not hardy to Calgary are a favourite for their showy blooms and beautiful height.  This is a very good flower for a cut flower and will perform well for your birthday!!

SEPTEMBER THE ASTER IS YOURS - seen in masse in the fall - the last big show from nature before winter shuts down our garden display for the year.  Asters are in the same family as daisy and are available in various colours as cut flowers in Calgary year around.

OCTOBER - MARIGOLD - GOLD FOR YOUR BIRTH MONTH - an annual here in Calgary with it's traditional bright gold/yellow round head on a shortish stem, a delightful garden flower with a very destinctive perfume.  In some countries the flower petals are processed to secure the yellow colouring which is then used as a food dye.  Marigolds are sometimes used in companion planting to deter rodents, deer and other creatures from munching on your garden.  Marigolds are also planted in butterfly gardening.

NOVEMBER - CHRYSANTHEMUM - MUMS FOR YOU! -  a hugely popular flower with florists, long lasting cut flower, performs beautifully, fabulous for gardens or containers.  There are many types and shapes of mums like the traditional daisy, buttons like the little green kermit and poms.  Did you know that the mum is often used for medicial purposes in some countries and that there is a delicious Chrysanthemum tea!

DECEMBER - CHRISTMAS BABIES GET THE POINTSETTIA AS THEIR BIRTHDAY FLOWER - Pointsettia are synonymous with Christmas with their pointed red, pink or white flowers, yellow centers and dark green leaves.  Native to Mexico, points are definately a seasonally delight here in Calgary.  With a little TLC your pointsettia will last for quite some time - remember, they dislike cold even for a moment, no drafts hot or cold and they like to be kept moist but don't like to sit in water.