May 14

Birth Flower

Fuchsia
Lady's-eardrop Fuchsia hybrida

Scientific Name: Fuchsia hybrida
Family: Onagraceae

Flower Language

  • good taste
  • confiding love
  • elegant taste

Characteristics

Colors:

Description

Named after Leonhart Fuchs, one of the fathers of German botany and an herbalist who was also a physician. It's a popular summer potted flower loved for its doll-like cute flower shape and vivid, exotic flower colors. The sepals curl back and the bell-like flowers hang downward, creating a unique and beautiful flower form often called 'lady's earrings.'

Trivia

  • Named after German botanist Leonhart Fuchs
  • Berries are edible and some varieties are delicious
  • Has the beautiful alternative name 'Lady's earrings'
  • Heat sensitivity makes summer survival a cultivation challenge

Uses

Ornamental
  • Potted plants
  • Hanging baskets
  • Cut flowers
  • Mixed plantings
Medicinal

Caution: No recorded medicinal use

Culinary
  • Berries
Other
  • Parent variety for horticultural breeding
  • Ornamental greenhouse plant

Toxicity

Symptoms: No toxicity, berries are edible

Astilbe
False spirea

Scientific Name: Astilbe × arendsii
Family: Saxifragaceae

Flower Language

  • joyful arrival of love
  • freedom
  • delicate

Characteristics

Colors:

Description

From early summer to autumn, small flowers gather to form fluffy, conical spikes. It's characterized as a hardy and easy-to-grow flower. The sight of pink and white flowers swaying in the wind is gentle. Native to East Asia and North America, most of the garden varieties currently in circulation are horticultural varieties improved in Germany.

Trivia

  • Improved by German horticulturist Georg Arends
  • Continues to bloom vigorously without flower damage even in long rainy seasons
  • Precious flower that blooms beautifully even in shade
  • Beautiful sight of fluffy flower forms swaying in the wind

Uses

Ornamental
  • Garden planting
  • Potted plants
  • Cut flowers
  • Shade gardens
  • Moisture gardens
Medicinal

Caution: No recorded medicinal use

Culinary

No recorded culinary use

Other
  • Dried flowers
  • Natural garden design material
  • Nectar source for bees

Toxicity

Symptoms: No toxicity reported

Petunia
Garden petunia

Scientific Name: Petunia × hybrida
Family: Solanaceae

Flower Language

  • natural heart
  • your presence soothes me
  • peace of mind

Characteristics

Colors: pink

Description

A plant of the Solanaceae family, genus Petunia, native to South America. Basically hardy and easy to grow, it is resistant to summer heat and can be enjoyed for a long time from spring to autumn if grown in good conditions. It has various flower colors such as red, red-purple, purple, pink, blue, and white, and there are many varieties including flower patterns and double-flowered types.

Trivia

  • Name derives from Brazilian indigenous word meaning tobacco
  • Close relative of tobacco genus with Solanaceae characteristics
  • Hardy plant that blooms continuously from spring to autumn
  • Rich colors and forms available as garden varieties

Uses

Ornamental
  • Bedding plants
  • Potted plants
  • Hanging baskets
  • Planters
  • Mixed plantings
Medicinal

Caution: Caution needed as member of Solanaceae family

Culinary

Not edible (caution as Solanaceae plant)

Other
  • Parent variety for horticultural breeding
  • Summer landscape plant
  • Container gardening

Toxicity

Toxicity Level: Mild

Toxic Parts: Entire plant

Symptoms: As a Solanaceae plant, may have mild toxicity, so ingestion should be avoided

Columbine
Aquilegia

Scientific Name: Aquilegia vulgaris
Family: Ranunculaceae

Flower Language

  • determination for victory
  • abandoned lover
  • victory

Characteristics

Colors: purple

Description

A perennial distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Several species are native to Japan, and the types called Western Columbine are mainly from North America and Europe. It has a unique flower shape with elongated projections called spurs at the back. It was once called 'Lion's Herb' in Europe, and there was a custom of rubbing hands with purple columbine leaves.

Trivia

  • English name Columbine derives from Latin meaning 'dove-like'
  • Once considered herb for gaining lion's power in Europe
  • Characteristic elongated spurs at back of flowers
  • Contains toxic compound protoanemonin

Uses

Ornamental
  • Wild plant gardens
  • Natural gardens
  • Rock gardens
  • Potted plants
  • Cut flowers
Medicinal

Caution: Dangerous for medicinal use as toxic plant

Culinary

Not edible due to toxicity

Other
  • Parent variety for horticultural breeding
  • Educational material for nature observation

Toxicity

Toxicity Level: Severe

Toxic Parts: Entire plant, Especially roots and seeds

Symptoms: Dermatitis, blisters, suppuration, gastroenteritis, cardiac arrest in severe cases