If you’re thinking about adding a beautiful flower tattoo to your collection, you can consider choosing a flower with meaning. Start with your birth month if you’re unsure where to find meaning.
Each month has a birth flower, just like it has a birthstone. You can design a birth flower tattoo bouquet to represent your family or show a little self-love with your birth month’s signature bloom.
January - Carnation
January’s birth flower is the carnation. Carnations can represent many things. And don’t listen when anyone says carnations are basic — we absolutely don’t agree.
Pink and red carnations represent love, and white carnations are the official flower of Mother’s Day. If you’re looking to honor your mom, a delicate white carnation tattoo is a classy, subtle way to show your love.
Purple carnations can have a few different meanings. To some, they represent mystery, adventure, and living free. In some parts of the world, they’re the official flower for funerals. Remember the double meaning when selecting a shade for your carnation; at the end of the day, carnations are beautiful, and your tattoo is yours.
Carnations are great tattoos for a fine linework art style due to their intricate and flowing petals. Whether you opt for this floral design as a collarbone or hand tattoo, we can guarantee it will be an eye-catching piece of body art.
February - Violet
Violets are more than just violet. They come in several different colors. Although most people picture a beautiful shade of purple when they think of violet flowers, they also come in bright yellow, deep blue, and creamy white varieties.
Historically, violet flowers have been used to represent spirituality, faith, modesty, and wisdom. Violets were a symbol of maidenhood and love in ancient Greek mythology. In modern times, violet flowers have come to represent female empowerment.
If you’re a little on the new age side, a violet flower is like a signal to the goddesses. Because violets are such simple flowers, they make great small flower tattoos. Their sharp lines and deep colors lend themselves to a minimalisttattoo style.
March - Daffodil
Dainty little daffodils pack a lot of symbolism. This bright yellow bloom of March is used to signify a bunch of really big things.
Daffodils mean rebirth, transformation, resilience, and hope. Daffodils are among the first flowers to burst through the snow when winter melts away and spring starts. They’re ready for whatever happens next.
If some of your life experiences have been a little too real, a daffodilflower design can act as your survivor's badge. You did it. You came through the other side. You burst through the snow with all your strength and popped up to show the world your face.
April - Daisy
Ever since the age of the Vikings, daisies have been used to represent fertility, femininity, and motherhood. They’re a symbol of the circle of life and the superpower womxn can use to keep that circle going. They may be dainty, but they carry the weight of the world.
Daisies are also one of the most important sources of food for bees. If you want a flower tattoo and a bee or butterfly tattoo, it makes sense to bundle these together. Get a fine-linedaisy tattoo.
Your little honeybees and butterflies can rest on your daisy. They’ll always have a snack.
Similar to daisies are sunflowers. Sunflower tattoos symbolize loyalty and faithfulness, making them a great way to honor a loved one.
May - Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley flowers are white. The lily flower is usually used as a symbol of innocence, purity, and sweetness. They’re a “traditional feminine values” flower, whatever that means.
A less old-fashioned interpretation of the meaning of the lily of the valley stems from the myth of Apollo, who used the flowers to protect his muses from evil spirits. A lily tattoo can say, “I’m not here for your bad vibes right now.”
June - Rose (or Honeysuckle)
Roses are the birth flower for June. By now, we all know that roses are used to represent true love. Roses are one of the most popular flower tattoos.
Rose tattoos can have a wide variety since different colors of roses will have different tattoo meanings. For instance, pink roses symbolize gratitude, while yellow roses signify friendship. And, of course, red roses symbolize the traditional ideals of passion and romance.
If your birth month is June, and you’re not really vibing with the idea of rose flower tattoos, there’s good news. June has two birth flowers; the second is the honeysuckle flower.
Honeysuckle flowers are the symbol of pure happiness. They radiate positive energy, and we can all use a little more of that in our lives. Your honeysuckle flower tattoo can remind you to keep it together and continue pushing through.
July - Water Lily
Water lilies are the birth flower for July and often make beautiful tattoos. The flower details are better suited for larger areas, making them a better pick for a thigh tattoo than a dainty little wrist tattoo.
Water lilies are used to represent things like pleasure, wellness, and peace. You know you want to experience all three of those things daily.
Water lilies are zen and meditative flowers. A water lily is a perfect fit if you like to chill (or know you need to chill more). They’re very similar in meaning and aesthetic to a lotus flower. You might want to play around with a few flower tattoo design ideas to see which one you like better.
Water lilies also make for beautiful watercolortattoo ideas. And if you like the look of a lotus flower tattoo better, who are we to judge?
August - Poppy
August’s birth flower is the poppy, and poppies can mean a whole host of things. They can mean death, sleep, intoxication, remembrance, magic, visions, dreams, beauty, and imagination.
They’re a little witchy, making the poppy the perfect flower tattoo for someone who feels drawn to the mystical. Another of August’s birth flowers is the gladiolus, a wildflower native to some parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The gladiolus represents strength and integrity, which makes it a great flower tattoo idea for anyone who’s had to be strong during hard circumstances.
September - Morning Glory
Morning glory flowers bloom in the morning and close at night. They’re the summary of an entire life cycle in the blink of an eye. That’s why these flowers represent the cycle of life and death.
Morning glory flower tattoos are a great way to remember someone as a whole life lived. They’re also a reminder that life is way shorter than many of us would like it to be.
A morning glory tattoo will tell you to get up and do the thing, no matter what the thing is. Sunrises are new beginnings. If you have something to go out and get, go get it now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
October - Marigold
October’s birth flower is the marigold, which is a powerful symbol of the sun. Ancient cultures, like Aztecs and early Buddhists, believed marigold flowers heal people and imbue them with power.
A marigold means you’re tough. Maybe even more than tough; maybe you’re fierce and always ready to go. You’re not afraid of anything because you’ve already been through it and come out wiser and stronger.
November - Chrysanthemum
The chrysanthemum, the birth flower of November, symbolizes friendship. All those little petals are packed together tightly. They grow together and thrive within their inner circle, just like you and the people you love.
When chrysanthemums are used in traditional Japanese flower tattoos, they mean something slightly different. In Japanese culture, they prize chrysanthemums for their natural perfection.
Every petal opens in a specific order, in a balanced unity. Japan has celebrated the perfection of the chrysanthemum every year for hundreds of years. They gave the flower its own day, referred to as the festival of happiness.
December - Narcissus (or Holly)
December’s birth flower is the Narcissus, the same as a daffodil. The alternative flower for December is the holly, which is the white flower that blooms from the little red buds that are used to decorate around holiday trees.
Narcissus represents the same things the March flower represents (plus a side dish of self-centeredness), and the only alternative is directly related to the holidays. It seems like December got stiffed. We can’t let it go down like that.
We propose an alternative solution: the camellia flower. Camellia flowers are one of very few strong and resilient flowers to bloom in December as the snow falls around them. They’re used as a symbol of profound love and adoration.
If you read To Kill a Mockingbird, you might remember the storyline when someone tries to destroy a plot of camellia flowers by ripping off their blooms, but they didn’t die. Their roots were still in place, and they survived. This shows camellias as strong survivors who will always rise again. It’s a beautiful way of saying, “seriously, try me.”
Are You Ready for Your Flower Tattoo?
Although birth months can be a helpful guide, you’re free to choose whatever flower holds the strongest symbolism or looks cool. It’s your body, and you will wear the work of art forever.
Make sure it resonates with who you are. If you were born in April but feel like more of a marigold, that’s exactly what you are.
Take some time, think about it, and when you’re ready, find a great local tattoo artist to translate your idea into a reality. Don’t forget to take excellent care of your beautiful new flower tattoo to help it heal as beautifully as it looked the day you got it.
Our aftercare kit contains everything you need to care for your new art piece while healing. Our CBD-infused foam cleanser and healing balm work to target discomfort on the surface of the skin, infusing it with the essential fatty acids it needs to protect itself.
Our numbing and antiseptic spray wards off icky intruders while soothing the itchy, throbbing sensation that sucks for a few days. It’ll help get you through the “peely” part.
Sources:
Out My Backdoor: Misunderstood Morning Glories | Department Of Natural Resources Division
Apollo | World History Encyclopedia
Choyo (9th day of the 9th month; Chrysanthemum Festival) | RISD Museum
