The Daisy and the Sweet Pea are the Birthday Flowers of April with colour and scent spanning both

Every month of the year is represented by one flower or by more.

We are now well into April with Sweet Peas and Daisies being the flowers of the month.

Flowers and symbolism have been occurring through the eras of civilizations, with the Victorian era, being the most prevalent within our traditional society and the initial or main cultivation for the European market predominately occurring in Holland and then spanning the world to commercial growers.  

The Daisy has an interesting societal impact, certainly as far as the name, which during the Victorian period was that of secrecy to that of cheerfulness and joy.  Northern mythology, which is much older than the Victorian era, shone a light on a flower from a Goddess of fertility, beauty, and love. The daisy during the same period was that of new beginnings and that of motherhood.

The Gerbera is a variety of Daisy, which probably originated in South Africa, was widely crossed in Holland, and by 1889 had become hugely diverse in terms of the actual look and the myriad of colours that were and are available. The Gerbera has gone on to be the 5^th most sold flower in the world and is widely produced by growers around the globe.

The Sweet Pea has an exquisite fragrance with a sweetness, which is sometimes described, as that of Jasmine, honey, and oranges. There are hundreds of varieties, that have been cultivated to extend the flowering period.

The sweet pea has a long history in many cultures with many meanings. Although native to the Mediterranean. There are thousands of growers throughout the world because of the longevity of flowering and the pleasant aroma. The symbolism spans many cultures as well. The sweet pea is a much-gifted flower from the perspective of a thank-you, through to a goodbye, with blissfulness, and kindness, with friendship being a common bond. In marriage, the sweet pea is a flower of good luck. The Sweet pea has been widely adopted with an emotion attached to strength and truth and with a scent, that carries the same values. In some cases, it is a flower worn to add fragrance to clothing. The sweet pea is another of these flowers, that out with Holland and passed through Holland and became a widely desired flower, which then found its way through and out of Europe around the world. Some describe it as magical, which may well be linked to the scent.

These two flowers are prolific around the world and firm favourites as cut flowers.