The Sweet Pea
is April's Birth Flower
Everyone knows that they have a specific
birthstone that is placed in jewelry and trinkets to signify the
month they were born in. However, many people don't know that
just like the stones, each month has a flower or two as well,
which symbolizes birth. Here is the history and meaning behind
your birth flower.
April: Sweet Pea
Alternate: Daisy
The Sweet Pea with the botanic name of
Lathyrus odoratus is a native flower plant of the eastern
Mediterranean region from Sicily to Crete. It is a climbing
plant which can grow up to 2 meters when there is support
available, like a wall or fence. The original wild plant is
purple in color, where as many cultivators have created other
colors.
Hence their name, Sweet Pea's have a sweet
fragrance and is used by many gardeners just for the scent it
gives off in their garden. Sweet Pea's generally are in bloom
from March till November, and do best in cool damp climates.
Fun and interesting fact: In the
1980's, in a small town in England called Wem, the Sweet Pea
Society of Wem started an annual festival celebrating this
flower. Many of the street signs now carry a picture of the
Sweet Pea, and a small area of town is referred to Eckford Park
after the nurseryman Henry Eckford who cross-bred and developed
the Sweet Pea plant.