Lavender, a birthday flower of July 5th

Lavender is one of the birthday flowers of July 5th annually. It is also the birthday flower of July 12th and December 3rd. It is called "Rabendaa" in Japanese. There are different varieties grown in Japan, I often see HIdcote and Lavandin in particular.

It may be in bloom currently in different parts of Japan. It typically blooms from May to July. But where I live in Saitama Prefecture, the lavender is mainly finished for this year. In Saitama it blooms from around the end of May to the end of June. The photo in this post was taken on June 23rd. However, the most famous lavender fields in Japan are in Hokkaido, where it blooms in June and July.  

Reportedly, the 'hanakotoba' Japanese flower language of Lavender flowers is “silence,” “please answer me,” “expectation,” “distrust,” and “suspicion.” These associations come partly from its long history as a soothing herb. "Silence" is said to reflect lavender's calming and stabilizing effect on the mind.