Well, I have to say, these can look very striking and are a beautiful cut flower!

The birth month flower for August is Gladiolus – a symbol of love and strength. There are an impressive 300 species of gladiolus, a member of the Iris family. It originates from Africa, the Mediterranean and South Europe and the name itself, stems from the Latin word “gladius” meaning “sword”, perhaps because of it’s long, tall appearance.

The gladiolus have trumpet-shaped petals which bloom from the bottom and work their way up. They offer a wonderful splash of colour in our gardens ranging from deep purples, vibrant pinks, rich reds and many more. Each colour holds a different representation – red signifies romance, pink means compassion and purple represents fortune and beauty.

When planting these flowers, be sure to remember that they prefer full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Because of their height it is also worth considering that they need protection from strong winds.

Our additional flower of the month is the Poppy flower. As you can imagine, they grow all over the world and there are many different species, the most popular being the Oriental Poppy, California Poppy and Iceland Poppy.

Ancient Greek mythology records the poppy as being associate with Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture and was believed that if poppies grew in your field, that you would have a strong season of crops to follow. As we all know, the poppy symbolises remembrance, but also sleep and death. The link between poppies and those lost during battle, stem from the Canadian poet John McCrae who wrote a famous poem during Word War I and in cemeteries where soldiers have been buried from WWI, disturbing the soil caused poppies to grow from seeds that were previously dormant.

On a lighter note, if you wanted to grow them in your garden, remember there are both annual and perennial types of poppies, both of which prefer cool spots for growing. They can often be considered as weeds if they are not kept under control, so perhaps they are best as a cut flower - in which case you should cut them when the bud is just starting to bloom and heat the bottom of the stem to stop the fluid from the stem leaking to create a murky water.

Please share with us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram your wonderful outdoor spaces. Don’t forget our Small, Medium and Large pots can be found here as well as our saucers or drip-trays to help protect our surfaces.