August Birth Flowers: Gladiolus and Poppy Meanings

August has two birth flowers: the gladiolus and the poppy. The gladiolus, known for its saturated colors and dramatic tall stalks, symbolizes strength, moral integrity, and sincerity. The poppy carries meanings of remembrance, imagination, and consolation.

Below you'll find what each August birth flower means, how the two ended up sharing a month, and a few honest notes on which one actually works in a birthday bouquet.

August is the month of vacations, downtime, and serene leisure. It is also when the garden's showiest spike flower hits its peak. If you're here to send something, our birthday flowers collection is the quickest route, and the meanings below will help you pick with intent.

Gladiolus Birth Flower

Gladiolus, also called the sword lily, boasts an array of bright colors reminiscent of summer. The name comes from the Latin gladius, a small sword, a nod to its blade-shaped leaves. Gladiolus comes in several shades of pink, red, yellow, purple, and white. Its long, thin stem usually grows up to 5ft tall, with flowers arranged in a compact column, each bloom opening one after the other for a spectacular sight.

What do gladiolus flowers symbolize?

The Gladiolus' symbolism in ancient times was strength and courage, hence the name "sword lily." Renowned for its grit, as it could pierce even the toughest soils, it represented the same strength and resilience of a warrior. In more modern times, the gladiolus symbolizes sincerity, faithfulness, and infatuation. That range makes it a fitting gift for different occasions, including birthdays, weddings, retirements, and funerals.

Representation of Gladiolus by Colors

Gladiolus, with its varied colors, also carries various meanings. Pink generally symbolizes love, admiration, grace, and elegance. Red also represents love, with an extra note of passion and romance. Yellow stands for friendship and joy, while white is all about purity and innocence, which is why it shows up at so many weddings. Bright mixed stems also sit comfortably alongside other summer flowers in a tall arrangement.

The Poppy: August's Second Birth Flower

The gladiolus gets most of the attention, but August has a second birth flower: the poppy. Red poppies are best known as a symbol of remembrance, an association that took hold after World War I. Beyond that, poppies stand for imagination, restful sleep, and consolation. Greek mythology tied the flower to sleep and dreams, which is where the restful part of its meaning comes from.

Color shifts the message here too. Red leans toward remembrance and deep respect, white toward consolation and peace, and yellow or orange toward optimism and success.

Which August Birth Flower Belongs in a Bouquet?

Here's the practical trade-off: poppies rarely work as cut flowers. Their stems release a milky sap when cut and the petals tend to drop within a day or two, so florists almost never build arrangements around them. Gladiolus is the opposite. It's at peak supply in August, holds up well in a vase, and its buds keep opening from the bottom of the spike up for a week or more, so the arrangement keeps changing shape after it arrives.

One caution for pet households: the ASPCA lists gladiolus as toxic to cats and dogs, with the corm (the bulb-like base) being the most concerning part. Cut stems in a vase are a lower risk than a garden bed, but keep them out of reach of a determined chewer.

If a specific stem is out of season on delivery day, our designers substitute blooms of equal or greater value, so the arrangement still lands the way you intended. And if the birthday snuck up on you, same-day delivery is available on orders placed by 2:00 PM Monday through Saturday, or 12:00 PM on Sunday, in the recipient's local time zone.

More Birth Flowers Around August

Gladiolus and poppy sit in the middle of a full calendar of birth blooms. July celebrates with the water lily and larkspur, and September belongs to the aster and morning glory.