Gladiolus, a birthday flower of July 13th

There are at least six different birthday flowers of July 13th annually. Among them, Gladiolus (グラジオラス). It is also the birthday flower of March 23rd, June 14th and November 26th.

It is a striking summer flower in Japan, known for its tall, upright stems lined with blossoms that open gradually from the bottom upward. It brings vivid color to gardens, parks, and roadside plantings during the warmest months. Gladiolus typically blooms for between 3 and 10 days some time from June to October. The photo in this post was taken mid-June.

In the Japanese language of flowers, "hanakotoba", gladiolus carries several meanings: “secret meeting,” “caution,” “memories,” “forgetfulness,” and “victory”. Allegedly, these symbolic associations come from old European stories in which lovers used gladiolus stems to signal hidden rendezvous times.