What's your zodiac flower? Discover which bloom you have a star sign connection to, plus tips on how to grow it in your yard

If you love finding ways to add personal touches to your garden, or perhaps love filling your home with beautiful blooms, there's no better addition than your zodiac flower. That's right, there's a special bloom for each of the 12 star signs.

As someone already growing my birth month flower in my garden, I'm so excited to learn there is also a flower associated with my zodiac sign. It's a beautiful way to make your flower bed personal, and an even more meaningful gift for loved ones.

Keen to discover yours? Here, I outline all 12 zodiac flowers, explore the meaning behind them, and share some tips on how to grow them successfully in your garden.

What are zodiac flowers?

So, where exactly do zodiac flowers come from? While birth month trees are linked to the Celtic Tree Calendar, zodiac flowers are rather linked to astrology, much like zodiac houseplants.

It's a tradition that derives from the symbolism and personality traits associated with zodiac signs, connecting them with flowers that have similar traits and bloom in that star sign's season.

The 12 zodiac flowers are:

• Aries: Honeysuckle
• Taurus: Poppy
• Gemini: Lavender
• Cancer: White rose
• Leo: Sunflower
• Virgo: Buttercup
• Libra: Rose
• Scorpio: Geranium (pelargonium)
• Sagittarius: Carnation
• Capricorn: Pansy
• Aquarius: Orchid
• Pisces: Water lily

Aries (March 21 to April 19): Honeysuckle

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 4 to zone 9
• Find a honeysuckle bush at Nature Hills

For Aries, the zodiac flower is honeysuckle. This is a gorgeous trumpet-shaped bloom, often in yellow or white and with a sweet fragrance. It's strong and resilient, much like the traits associated with Aries.

There are lots of types of honeysuckles to choose from, including honeysuckle vines (from Nature Hills) and honeysuckle bushes.

One variety to note in particular is 'Mandarin' honeysuckle vine (from Walmart), which is loved for its climbing habit, beautiful orange hue, and highly sweet scent.

Grow honeysuckle alongside the best roses for instant impact in a cottage garden.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20): Poppy

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 2 to zone 11
• Find red poppy seeds at Amazon

Poppy is the zodiac flower for Taurus, a timeless wildflower that holds a lot of symbolism around rebirth, peace, and passion.

'I'm pleased to learn poppy is my zodiac flower because there are so many types of poppies I adore,' says Homes & Gardens' Head of Gardens, Rachel Bull.

Red poppies are the classic choice, but you may also want to consider the showy, colorful oriental poppies (like this pink variety from Amazon).

Or, you can try growing California poppies, a striking orange variety.

'It's easy to grow poppies to add to your yard, too. You can sprinkle poppy seeds (from Amazon) to add to wildflower meadow planting in your garden,' Rachel explains.

Rachel Bull

Rachel is a gardening editor, flower grower and floral designer. Her journalism career began on Country Living magazine, sparking a love of container gardening and wild planting. After more than a decade writing for and editing a range of consumer, business and special interest titles, Rachel became editor of floral art magazine The Flower Arranger. She then trained and worked as a floral designer and stylist in London for six years, before joining the Homes & Gardens team. 

Gemini (May 21 to June 20): Lavender

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 5 to zone 9
• Find a lavender plant at Nature Hills

Gemini's zodiac flower is one popular with pollinators: lavender. It's a popular, aromatic, drought-tolerant plant that works in borders, flower beds, and pots alike.

There are so many lavender varieties to choose from for your yard, too. I particularly love having French lavender (seeds from Amazon) in my yard, with its delicate butterfly-shaped bracts that sit at the top of the flowerhead. It also has a strong scent that infuses my patio.

While it's straightforward to grow lavender (especially if you provide a sunny spot), there are a few lavender growing mistakes to be aware of.

There are plenty of lavender companion plants to pair it with, this includes drought-tolerant rosemary, or alliums to create an impactful purple display.

Cancer (June 21 to July 22): White rose

• Hardiness: Depends on variety
• Find a white rose in Nature Hills' rose collection

Just like the sincerity and gentleness associated with the Cancer sign, white roses are often thought to be symbolic of purity and protection.

There's something unexpected and charming about a white rose variety, especially as a centerpiece in a minimalist garden. This white Knock Out rose shrub from Nature Hills is one certain to make an impact.

Growing and caring for roses is a bit of a science, so make sure to read up on our guide, as well as rose growing mistakes to avoid.

Many roses are thorny, so it's worth wearing these thorn-proof garden gloves with sleeves from Amazon when working with them, too.

Leo (July 23 to August 22): Sunflower

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 2 to zone 11
• Find sunflower seeds at True Leaf Market

On to my own zodiac flower: sunflowers. This is one of the most joyful flowers you can grow and it's associated with the confidence and boldness of the Leo star sign.

I love the classic yellow sunflowers, but my favorite sunflower varieties are the more unusual types. These red sunflower seeds from Amazon are a striking choice, for example.

Whether you want to grow sunflowers in a border or grow sunflowers in pots, these blooms need direct sun to thrive.

For a display to wow your guests, try growing sunflowers as the backdrop to vibrant zinnias (seeds from Amazon).

Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Buttercup

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 8 to zone 11
• Find buttercup seeds on Amazon

Virgo also gets a yellow flower: buttercups. You may usually overlook these lawn weeds, but they can actually bring a lot to an outdoor space.

They represent the modesty and quiet strength of Virgos, and are often spotted in the yard attracting lots of pollinators.

If you don't already have them growing among your grass, you can easily grow them with these buttercup seeds from Amazon. Pair them with white clover (seeds from Amazon) for a truly whimsical lawn alternative.

Libra (September 23 to October 22): Rose

• Hardiness: Depends on variety
• Shop roses at Nature Hills

Rose is the zodiac flower for Libra - a romantic flower for the star sign ruled by Venus. This takes into account all types of roses, though we particularly love long-blooming Knock Out rose varieties.

There are also plenty of roses for small spaces and those you can grow in pots. You can even embrace this Libra flower with a rose tree (from Nature Hills).

To ensure success with your roses, make sure to familiarize yourself with when to plant roses, as well as where to never plant roses.

Make sure to also fertilize roses (with this rose fertilizer from Amazon), as they tend to be heavy feeders.

Scorpio (October 23 to November 21): Geranium (pelargonium)

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 9 to zone 11
• You can find tender geraniums on Amazon, like this white one

As for Scorpio, the zodiac flower is geranium, referring to pelargoniums rather than hardy geraniums. It's a stunning bloom, popular as plants for hanging baskets. It has clusters of petals and layered leaves, linking to the protective nature of Scorpios.

Also known as tender geraniums, pelargoniums come in a wide range of colors. From neutral tones to the vivid tones in this pack of geranium seeds on Amazon.

As mentioned, these plants work well in hanging baskets, making an excellent addition to thriller, spiller, filler containers. Pair it with other flowers for pots, like petunias (shop the collection at True Leaf Market).

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21): Carnation

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 5 to zone 9
• Shop carnation seeds at True Leaf Market

For Sagittarius, carnation is the zodiac flower. It's a brilliant bloom to include in a cut flower garden, so long as you provide plenty of sun. For Sagittarius, they represent optimism and resilience, as they flower into the colder seasons.

These are also quite nostalgic plants your grandparents used to grow, evoking warm and happy feeling during darker days of fall. Plus, they come in a wide range of colors, from pink and red, to white and orange, and even green.

Grow them alongside other flowers for arranging, like dahlias and cosmos (seeds from True Leaf Market).

Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): Pansy

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 4 to zone 10
• Find pansy flower seed from True Leaf Market

Pansy is the zodiac flower for Capricorns, a nostalgic bloom that never fails to charm in hanging baskets and pots, and as bedding plants. It's linked to Capricorns not only for its seasonal blooming, but also as a symbol of endurance and strength through the colder months.

There are lots of winter pansies to choose from if you're keen to grow them during Capricorn season. For example, this pack of seeds from Amazon offers a wide variety of winter flowering pansies.

Grow pansies anywhere with full sun to partial shade, ensuring they are protected from intense afternoon heat. They pair particularly well with other cool-season blooms, like hellebores and cyclamen (from Nature Hills).

Aquarius (January 20 to February 18): Orchid

• Hardiness: Depends on variety
• Shop for orchids at The Sill

Aquarius has an exotic zodiac flower of orchid. This includes houseplant orchids (most commonly moth orchids), and wild types of orchid that come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors.

You may not have thought of orchids as wildflowers, but they are commonly found growing among grass across much of the US and UK.

One particularly interesting variety is the vanilla bean orchid (starter plant from Walmart), which produces vanilla seed pods. You can even grow vanilla bean orchid indoors.

If you don't have the right local climate to grow orchids outdoors, you can opt for an orchid houseplant (from The Sill) and enjoy your zodiac flower indoors, or gift it to the Aquarius in your life.

Pisces (February 19 to March 20): Water lily

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 11
• Shop water lily tubers on Amazon

The final zodiac flower is for Pisces: a water lily, fitting for this water star sign. Water lilies have long represented peace and enlightenment.

Of course, the easiest way to incorporate water lilies in your yard is by having a garden pond. Growing water lilies is best successful in full sun.

Alongside other water garden plants, you can use water lilies to create a magnificent display atop the water feature in your yard. Try incorporating water iris (from Nature Hills) in your planting scheme, for example.

FAQs

Why are birth flowers and zodiac flowers different?

Birth flowers and zodiac flowers are different because they're based on two different symbolic systems. While zodiac flowers are tied to astrology and the traits of star signs, birth flowers are rather linked to the calendar months and cultural traditions, largely Western and Victorian traditions.

Looking for other ways to use plants in a personal way in your yard and home? Discover your birth month houseplant in our guide to all 12, as well as our guide to birth month herbs.