January Birth Flowers: Carnation and Snowdrop

• Its name is often translated from Greek as "flower of the gods", and it was used in garlands in ancient Greece and Rome.
• In the Elizabethan era it spiced wine and ale as a cheaper stand-in for clove.
• It reached the United States in the 1850s and is the state flower of Ohio.

Carnations are sold as cut flowers all year and are among the longest-lasting choices. University of Illinois Extension says they last about two weeks in a vase. They are sensitive to ethylene, a gas given off by ripening fruit that makes petals wilt early, so keep the vase away from the fruit bowl. Stems with some blooms still in bud are a good pick, because buds tolerate ethylene better than open flowers.

In the garden, carnations are perennials often grown as annuals. They like bright sun, cool summers and moist, gritty, well-drained soil, and struggle in high heat.

Snowdrops are a garden bulb rather than a florist flower, so the practical gift is bulbs or a potted clump. Plant dry bulbs in fall, 2 to 3 inches deep. The bulbs dry out easily, so the Royal Horticultural Society advises buying them as soon as they are available and planting right away.

Set snowdrop bulbs in rich, well-drained soil once it has cooled, in groups of three or four along paths or under trees.

Carnations are on the ASPCA's list of plants toxic to dogs, cats and horses, though only mildly: chewing them can upset the stomach and irritate the skin.

Garnets are commonly red, GIA notes, so a red carnation suits garnet, the January birthstone, in a matched gift. A bouquet for the whole family can mix carnations with each person's own flowers, which the family bouquet builder looks up by month. Tuck in a card with the weekday the birthday person was born on, from What Day Was I Born.