June Birth Flowers: Rose and Honeysuckle
A June birthday gets the rose, the flower of love, beauty and affection, and the honeysuckle, which means happiness and the sweetness of new love.
Rose
| Scientific name | Rosa |
|---|---|
| Family | Rose family (Rosaceae) |
| Native to | Mostly Asia, some North America, Europe and northwest Africa |
| Blooms | Peaks in June |
| Colors | White, yellow, pink, orange and red |
Rose color meanings
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red | Love and romance |
| Pink | Happiness and admiration |
| White | Innocence and purity |
| Orange | Desire and excitement |
| Yellow | Cheer and happiness |
5,000 years in gardens and a national emblem
- Gardeners have grown roses for about 5,000 years, starting in China.
- A rose at Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany is thought to be about 1,000 years old.
- The rose is the national floral emblem of the United States.
Honeysuckle
| Scientific name | Lonicera |
|---|---|
| Family | Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) |
| Native to | The Northern Hemisphere |
| Blooms | Spring |
| Colors | White, yellow, pink, purple and red |
Honey, luck and hummingbirds
- The name comes from the Middle English honeysouke, "honey suck", for its sweet nectar.
- It was planted by homes to keep away bad luck and bring happiness.
- Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to its tube-shaped flowers.
Rose care, and the honeysuckle worth planting
Roses can be bought year-round, both as cut stems and as garden shrubs. Recut each stem by about 2 inches at a 45-degree angle, so it does not sit flat on the vase bottom. Strip leaves below the waterline, but leave the thorns, since removing them wounds the stem and lets microbes in. If a bloom droops at the neck, lay the whole rose in a pan of warm water to revive it.
Rose shrubs can be upright, climbing or trailing, with flowers from half an inch to more than 6 inches across.
Honeysuckle is sold as a garden vine, not a cut flower. Skip Japanese honeysuckle, which University of Illinois Extension calls extremely invasive in much of the US. Native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a better gift. Its scarlet-orange flowers are not fragrant.
Honeysuckle is a vigorous climber for full sun and well-drained soil.
Pets can nibble a rose petal safely: the ASPCA rates roses non-toxic for dogs, cats and horses. The thorns are the hazard.
White pearls go with white roses, and alexandrite, which GIA describes as red in incandescent light, with a red one; moonstone is June's third birthstone. June has 30 days, so everyone born in it reaches a golden birthday, turning the age of their birth date, by 30 at the latest. The Birthday Twin Finder estimates how many people share the exact date.
Birth flowers for other months
June Birth Flowers questions
Has the rose always been the June birth flower?
Mostly. The oldest printed lists we found, both in a 1907 Chicago party book, disagree. The guest list for its June party gives June the rose, while a calendar of birth-month stones and flowers later in the book gives the honeysuckle. The Almanac now names both.
Published October 12, 2026. Last updated October 28, 2026.