August Birth Flower.
For anyone who loves to receive a bouquet that has a multitude of color in it then Gladiolus is one of the best flowers you can give as one of the birth flowers for August. The other, is the Poppy with its bright red face and stunning black center.
Symbolism, Meaning and significance of The Poppy
For many the poppy is a known for its narcotic properties which ties in strongly with the symbolism of the poppy being oblivion, imagination and eternal sleep. The Greek god of dreams, Morpheus lived in a dream world and is said to be linked with the poppy in more ways than one. His parents names, Nix (the goddess of night) and Hypnos (the god that governs sleep) conjures up pictures of a hypnotic state that befalls us at night. For the Chinese, the poppy is a symbol of success, beauty and rest.
Symbolism, Meaning and significance of The Gladiolus
On the other hand, the Gladiolus is a symbol of strength and integrity. Its sword-like leaves represent a heart that has been pierced with the passion so the next time you receive a bouquet with Gladiolus in it; your giver might just be trying to tell you something.
The Romans associated Gladiolus with the flower of the gladiators. According to the legend, the brutal Roman general gained a victory in the battle with the Thracian warriors. He made them gladiators. The cruel Emperor offered to two best friends to fight between each other. Many people came to the Coliseum to look at this event. But the show has not started, because two best friends plunged their sword into the ground and hugged each other. The emperor ordered to kill the gladiators. The legend has it, that in the place of death, there were grown two flowers, symbolized the friendship, the loyalty, and the generosity. These flowers were the two Gladioluses. Therefore, traditionally, Gladiolus is a male flower.
The Gladiolus is mentioned even by Theophrastus who lived in 371 BC – 287 BC. Back in those days, he mentioned about the healing properties of Gladiolus, although, as a flower, the Gladiolus described as useless weed. Only in the XVII and XVIII, medieval alchemists discovered its true useful properties, as a medicament. But this flower became popular only in XVIII century, when it came to Europe as a South American flower, distinguished by its brightness and beauty. Since, in 1902 this flower was brought to England by the English engineer, who found it near the Zambezi river it became popular all around the world. In 1910, the year of Halley’s Comet, a new variety of the Gladiolus came to the European markets and had a great success.
Characteristics of Gladiolus
The Gladiolus come in an array of beautiful colors and represents summer in its fullness. They can be planter close together since these flowers grow upward and on stalks. Mixing the colors when planting will ensure that when they bloom you will be faced with flashes of color all over your garden or a wall of color when planted in one single bed. You will find numerous flower heads on a single stalk and they also bloom for quite a long period of time. This August birth flower is magnificent with its large flower and incredible foliage not to mention the sweet scents emanating from it.
It is worth noting, that the Gladiolus contain large amounts of vitamin C, this was confirmed by the latest researches.
Characteristics Of The Poppy
Contrary to the Gladiolus, the poppy does not bloom for long periods of time and although it does come in different colors, most know the poppy to be red. Unlike the Gladiolus, the poppy grows as a single flower on a stem which wafts in the breeze as if in a dream world. They do not bloom for very long and look at their best within the first two days of blooming. After that they open up wide to disperse their seeds and then their petals start to drop off one by one.
