February Birth Flowers: Violet and Primrose
Violets stand for modesty, faithfulness and everlasting love, and primroses for young love, the kind that says "I can't live without you". Both are February birth flowers.
Violet
| Scientific name | Viola |
|---|---|
| Family | Violet family (Violaceae) |
| Native to | Europe and Asia (temperate Northern Hemisphere) |
| Blooms | Late winter and early spring |
| Colors | Violet, blue, yellow, white and cream, often bicolored |
Violet color meanings
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Purple | Truth and loyalty |
| Blue | Faithfulness and devotion |
| White | Innocence and purity |
| Yellow | High worth |
A Victorian promise and four state flowers
- In Victorian times a gift of violets was a promise to be true.
- Medieval monks called it the "Herb of the Trinity" for its three colors: purple, yellow and green.
- It is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
Primrose
| Scientific name | Primula |
|---|---|
| Native to | Europe |
| Blooms | Early spring, one of the first flowers |
| Colors | White, yellow, pink, red and violet, almost always with a yellow center |
Fairies, Disraeli and the "first" flower
- Primula comes from the Latin primus, "first", for its early flowers.
- The ancient Celts were thought to see primrose patches as a gateway to the fairy world.
- April 19 is Primrose Day in England, in memory of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
Violets and primroses as living gifts
True violets are sold mainly as spring garden plants, not as cut flowers. Sweet violet (Viola odorata) was once sold as fragrant nosegays and is still grown for its edible flowers. It likes partial shade and moist, well-drained soil, and blooms from March through June. The popular African violet houseplant is not closely related to true violets, so check the label if you want the real birth flower.
Plant violets in early spring in rich soil. They take cold well but not drought or heat.
Primroses are usually given as potted plants, not cut flowers. Iowa State University Extension recommends a cool, bright spot around 55 to 60°F. Keep the soil evenly moist: the plants decline quickly if it dries out completely or stays soggy. With good care a potted primrose blooms for several weeks, and the extension treats it as a short-term plant to discard once flowering ends.
In a garden bed, primroses want cool shade, morning sun and moist, fast-draining soil. Do not bury the crown, which rots.
Keep potted primroses where pets cannot reach them. The ASPCA counts primrose as toxic to cats, dogs and horses, with mild vomiting as the main sign it reports.
Amethyst, the February birthstone, is the purple variety of quartz, a close match for purple violets. Born on February 29? Days Until My Birthday counts to February 28 in years without a leap day, while How Rare Is My Birthday shows where the leap day ranks among all 366 dates.
Birth flowers for other months
February Birth Flowers questions
Was the violet always a February birth flower?
No. Dame Curtsey's Book of Novel Entertainments, printed in 1907, has two birth flower lists, and both give February the primrose alone and put the violet in March. The Old Farmer's Almanac now lists the violet first for February, and March has the daffodil and the jonquil.
Published October 12, 2026. Last updated October 28, 2026.