Daffodils and Jonquils are the March Birth Month Flowers

Is your birthday in March? If it is, then daffodils and jonquils are your birth month flowers. I had to do a little research on this one to figure out the difference.

According to the American Daffodil Society, a jonquil is one of the thirteen divisions of daffodils. Bloom color, size and shape, as well as foliage type, flowering schedule and number of blossoms to a stem, determine the classifications of over 25,000 registered hybrids. All of these perennials fall under the genus Narcissus. 

DAFFODIL - are the large-flowered varieties.
NARCISSUS - are the small-flowered and early-blooming types bearing clusters of blossoms.
JONQUIL - often have fragrant yellow flowers. 

Blooms are comprised of two parts: the perianth, made up of six outer petal segments, and the corona in the center, shaped like a trumpet or cup (depending on length). Besides the familiar yellow and white flowers, daffodils also come in orange, red, apricot, pink and cream. In some varieties, the perianth and corona are different colors or varying shades of the same color. Leaves may be flat and straight or narrow and spiky. 

Following are a few hankies with daffodils for your viewing enjoyment.

I decided this was a daffodil on this pretty yellow linen hanky. What do you think?

I was surprised to find several blue daffodils.

This is the sweetest little hanky. It measures only about nine inches square.

I found this pretty hanky in two color versions; the other has a blue background with pink, blue and yellow daffodils.

I think these daffodils are uniquely bold.

This may be my favorite. White/Yellow Daffodils on a pale blue linen background.

Some St. Patrick's Day Fun with Vintage Hankies

A Little St. Patrick's Day Welcome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Hanky Hearts from the Hanky Dress Lady

I love to make Hanky Hearts almost as much as Hanky Dresses. These two were actually made for a client of mine. The photos show both the front and back sides of each with shamrocks on one side and buttons on the other side. (click to get a closeup view)  Both of these were made from just one handkerchief. You can use Hanky Hearts as door decorations, on a cabinet nob or almost anywhere you like. I slipped  one through the hanging loop of the other here to create a chain effect.

St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Handkerchief

This St. Patrick's Day hanky belongs to the same client...and what a lucky Irish lady she is! At first glance one might think it just a rather odd and old damaged hanky. Not so - this is a rare St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Handkerchief. I have a collection of Valentine Puzzle Hankies, but this is the first St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Hanky I have ever seen. When folded properly the lovely Irish shamrock design is revealed. It may be damaged but I think it is still a treasure.

Create a Hanky Bouquet for St. Patrick's Day

I don't have an ounce of Irish blood in me - but I do love the color green! You can create a hanky bouquet with all sorts of containers. Look around and see what you might have to work with and give it a go. You'll want to starch and iron those hankies to give them a little stiffness so the points will stand up and not flop over. Check out the close-ups below and let me know which is your favorite.

February's Birth Month Flowers on Vintage Hankies

February's birth month flowers are violets, primrose and iris. Of the three, violets were the easiest for me to find on my hankies.

Above are four lovely examples of  hankies with violets from my personal collection. 

This is a sweet little handmade hanky. I know that because a sweet little old lady told me so and she also explained to me how it was done and that she could remember making some as a child. She told me that the trick is to pull a thread loose and attach a piece of embroidery floss or other thread and pull it through the fabric. The little circle of violets is hand embroidered on this one. And, finally the hanky is hemmed.

 Here we have three primrose hankies and what may be an iris one. I haven't totally convinced myself that this is an iris. It may be an orchid. What do you think? If it is an orchid, then I don't have any hankies with irises on them.

I just happened to have one sweet round hanky simply brimming with violets.

Look What I Found - Snowdrops

Vintage hanky with pretty little snowdrops in the falling snow.

The other January birth month flower - Snowdrops.  I was doing some hanky washing and it popped up just like pretty little snowdrops do. Granted these are pink and red and blue...but, hanky designers did take a lot of liberties. The thing that cinches it are the tiny white polka dots all throughout the outer white border. I know you can't see them in the photo (so sorry), but they are there and they they make this little hanky soooo pretty!

And...top top it all off...it is snowing today. 

Birth Month Flowers on Vintage Hankies

Most of us know what our birth stone is; but do you know what your birth month flower is; or that you even have a birth month flower? There are various lists of birth month flowers and all the lists do not agree. So what you find here is a compilation of the lists I found. I am sure you have all figured out where I am going with this. There are lots of floral hankies and I want to share some of them with you and tell you a little about your flowers each month.

Month	Flower
January	Carnation / Snowdrop
February	Primrose / Violet / Iris
March	Daffodil / Jonquil
April	Sweet pea / Daisy
May	Hawthorn / Lily of the Valley
June	Rose / Honeysuckle
July	Water Lily/Delphinium / Larspur
August	Poppy / Gladiolus
September	Morning Glory / Aster/Myosotis
October	Calendula / Marigold / Cosmos
November	Chrysanthemum / Peony
December	Holly / Narcissus / Poinsettia

January’s birth month flowers are the carnation and the snowdrop.

The carnation is said to symbolize love, fascination and distinction.

Carnations come in several different colors and each color has a different meaning in the language of flowers. A pink carnation means affection, while a red carnation means ‘I love you.’ White carnations mean pure love, striped carnations mean regret that a love is not shared, and yellow means rejection or disappointment. 

Here are some vintage hankies and two Hanky Dresses with carnations from my collection. One of the dresses has been framed and is currently available in my Etsy shop. January Carnation Hanky Dress

I haven't found any hankies with snowdrops on them. If you have one I would love to hear from you and share a photo here.

Vintage hanky with white carnations which symbolize pure love.

Vintage hanky with lovely carnations, the birth month flower for January. Pink carnations symbolize affection while red carnations symbolize love.

Vintage hanky with lavendar and white carnations. White carnations symbolize pure love.

Vintage hanky with pink and red carnations - a January birth month flower.

Pink carnations symbolize affection while red one symbolize love.

Not sure what blue carnations mean. 

Pink carnations for affection decorate this vintage hanky. 

What a beautiful vintage hanky with a January birth monh flower - pink and red carnations.

This may be a vintage mourning hanky. Pink carnations for affection, red is for love, and white is for pure love.

Sadly, yellow carnations represent disappointment or rejection in the language of flowers.