7 Kinds of Mother's Day Flowers and Their Unique Meanings

Table of Contents

Carnations – The official Mother’s Day Flowers

These dainty spring blooms are the quintessential Mother’s Day flower. Carnations symbolize piety, faith and beauty – which are the classic traits of motherhood.

To explain why carnations got the title of the official flower of Mother’s Day, let’s talk a bit about history. The establishment of Mother’s Day as a recognized holiday in North America can be credited to Anna Jarvis’s determined advocacy. In her efforts to honor mothers, Anna sent 500 white carnations to her church for the mothers in attendance, creating the foundation for a new tradition. Over time, carnations have become symbolic of motherhood, embodying qualities like purity, faith, love, beauty, and charity — all attributes that are often associated with the essence of being a mother.

Though carnations have many colors, from white, red to yellow and purple, nowadays, pink carnations are still the most popular due to the aesthetic hue they possess, representing gratitude and love, which makes them the best choice when it comes to choosing Mother’s Day flowers.

Lilies – An Exotic Scent

After carnations, lilies are also a popular Mother’s Day flower as in many cultures, this kind of flower symbolizes divine feminine, fertility and motherhood. Pink is also the most popular color of lilies because of its emblematic of admiration and love, while white lilies signify chastity, rebirth and majesty. No matter which color you choose, lilies are the perfect Mother’s Day flowers for mom due to their exotic look, a distinct scent to fill the room and a deep meaning behind.

Roses – Represent All Kinds of Love

Red roses are the famous symbol of romantic love, but did you know other colors of roses represent different types of love? As with lilies and carnations, deep pink roses are said to symbolize appreciation, while light pink roses represent happiness, joy and admiration. Similarly, yellow roses represent friendship and peach roses are symbolic of thanks and respect.

Besides, roses are actually historically linked to motherhood. They were believed to be sacred to the Greek goddess Isis – the ideal mother, and Aphrodite – the goddess of love and beauty. So, you literally can’t go wrong when choosing pink and peach rose flowers for mother on this special day.

Tulips – Perfect Gift for New Moms

Tulips are one of the first kinds of flower that start blooming in spring. Because of this, they’ve long been associated with rebirth and perfect love also. Different colors of tulips have different meanings: pink is affection, purple is royalty, orange and yellow are for cheer and hope. Since tulips symbolize spring, they are especially ideal for new mothers, signifying new beginnings. So, pink, orange and yellow tulips along with their overall elegant shape are definitely appropriate hues for maternal relationships.

Hydrangeas – Graceful Colors of Femininity

Another colorful flower species that mothers often love, and they possess different meanings for each color. Blue hydrangeas symbolize understanding and gratitude, pink ones show love and sincerity, white hydrangeas symbolize virtues and grace while purple ones represent acknowledgment and abundance. All these four colors of hydrangeas are suitable for gifting your mom on this special day. With their exceptional beauty and vitality, these Mother’s Day flowers often get planted in the garden to be enjoyed all year round.

Gerberas – Brighten Your Mom’s Day

Also called the Transvaal daisy, Gerberas represent cheer and joy as they can be found in bright colors and fun-looking shapes, which makes them a wonderful addition to any floral arrangement for your mother. Moreover, they don’t wilt easily, your mom can just preserve them in any vase and enjoy them for weeks.

Talking about the meanings of gerberas, the Egyptians believed that these flowers symbolize a closeness to nature and the sun, whereas the Celts believed they help soothe sorrows and stresses in life. In Asia, gerberas are believed to bring fortune to the home, as they call them the “money flower”. Generally, gerberas symbolize innocence, purity, cheerfulness and loyal love.

Daffodils – The Symbol of Rebirth

One of the best flowers for Mother’s Day. Like tulips, daffodils symbolize new beginnings and motherhood as they also bloom in spring – the season of proliferation. In many cultures, daffodils are often given to new mothers to congratulate them on the birth or adoption of their child. These perennial bulb plants are usually very long-lasting, so they’re a better option for those who want such delicate gifts like flowers to present a bit longer in their home.

There’s a saying: There’s no love like a mother’s love. With their meaning of rebirth, motherhood and new beginnings, daffodils have become associated with the beginning of new chapters and are commonly given as a congratulatory gift to new mothers.