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Birth flowers

February birth flower: the violet and the primrose

By the Merrylet teamUpdated

February has two birth flowers: the violet and the primrose. The violet stands for loyalty, faithfulness and modesty. The primrose, whose name means “first rose”, stands for young love, which suits the month of Valentine’s Day.

Plate IIFebruaryViolet, the February birth flower: a painted clump of purple sweet violetsPrimrose, the second February birth flower: a painted clump of pale yellow primroses
Viola odorataPrimula vulgaris

Two flowers for February

Violet

Viola odorata

Loyalty, faithfulness and modesty

Colors
Purple, also white
In flower
Late winter into spring
Feels like
Small, sweet, scented

Primrose

Primula vulgaris

Young love and new beginnings

Colors
Pale yellow, also pink
In flower
Late winter into spring
Feels like
Soft, fresh, hopeful
February birthstoneAmethyst
ZodiacAquarius, then Pisces from February 19

What does the violet mean?

The violet means loyalty, faithfulness and modesty: a small flower that keeps its head down and smells wonderful.

Sweet violets are edible. The flowers are candied with sugar and used to decorate cakes, and they have scented perfumes and sweets for centuries.

Violets are blue

The old rhyme has it wrong: sweet violets are purple. The verse goes back to the 1700s.

What does the primrose mean?

The primrose means young love and new beginnings. It flowers at the very end of winter, when almost nothing else is out.

Its name comes from the Latin prima rosa, “first rose”, though it is not a rose at all.

Prima rosaThe first rose: the primrose’s old name, for one of the first flowers of the year.

Violet or primrose: which is the February birth flower?

Both. The violet is the one most lists give first; the primrose is the more common second flower.

VioletPrimrose
SaysI’ll always be thereI’m falling for you
Best forA best friend, a parent, a partner of yearsNew love, a first Valentine’s Day
Give them their flowers

A birthday card full of flowers in February

The Bunch birthday card

The Bunch birthday card plays on their phone: peonies, ranunculus, cosmos and sweet peas gather into the paper wrap one flower at a time. Add their name and a few words to the card, send it by text, and they just tap the link.

Something to write inside
  • A violet for you, for being the most loyal person I know.
  • Born in February, the month of love. Of course you were. Happy birthday.
  • Here’s to a year that starts as sweetly as a primrose.
See the card play, then sendAll birthday cards

Watch the card before you write a word. Your first greeting card is free.

February birth flower questions

What is the February birth flower?
February has two birth flowers: the violet and the primrose. The violet stands for loyalty, faithfulness and modesty. The primrose stands for young love and new beginnings.
Are violets really blue?
Not usually. Sweet violets are purple, sometimes white. The rhyme “roses are red, violets are blue” is just poetic license.
Can you eat violets?
Yes. Sweet violet flowers are edible and are often candied to decorate cakes. Only eat flowers you know have not been sprayed.
Why is the primrose called the first rose?
Its name comes from the Latin prima rosa, “first rose”, because it is one of the first flowers of the year. It is not related to roses.
What is the February birthstone?
The amethyst. People born in February are Aquarius until February 18 and Pisces from February 19.

February’s birthstone: amethyst, what it means and its color.

Birth flowers for every month

← January: carnation and snowdropMarch: daffodil →

All birth flowers, month by month

Sources