Talk:List of birthday flowers
This list[edit]
While interesting, this article as it stands seems to be an indiscriminate list of information with only one line of actual content and only a single source. Unless the text of the article's expanded, it's very likely to be deleted. — iridescent (talk to me!) 18:28, 28 September 2007 (UTC)
- It needs a lot more info, for sure. I think it's a work in progress (maybe there's a template to indicate that?), but should mention that all the info (intro sentence and list) is from just a single source, because it's a dubious source if that's all it says. For example, it may be the specific list was never a cultural tradition, and was simply the invention of a publisher as a way to sell an expensive 365-plate color-illustrated book. Even if a book or two say this specific list is a tradition, their credibility is questionable if there is no other independent corroboration. Here's a repost of a comment I posted in Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Plants#Birthday_flowers.3F:
- Books.google returns a 1913 American book with a one-per-month birthday flowers list. A 1921 book of etiquette says to give the birthday flower, whichever it is, prominence at the party. Several "birthday flower" and "birthday flowers" results, sometimes referring to flowers given on birthdays, but often times to specific flower species for a given month or date. In this 1878 story a character says "the orange-blossom was her birthday flower; for fifty years I have never failed to gather her a bouquet of them on her birthday." (In references like that, it's not always said why a species is a person's birthday flower; maybe it went by date, month, or was somehow assigned/chosen in childhood). An 1883 ad for a British book called "Birthday Flowers: Their Language and Legends," with color illustrations for every day of the year, includes in its lengthy description: "This sumptuous and elegant Birthday Book is the first in which our floral treasures have been laid under really effective contribution." The earliest mention of the book is an 1875 ad; it seems tied in with the Victorian-era Language of Flowers. -Agyle 23:24, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
- The language of flowers was something they did for amusement or as a gimmick in Victorian times. Its incorrect to present it as something that's current today. 89.243.36.35 (talk) 19:50, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
- Books.google returns a 1913 American book with a one-per-month birthday flowers list. A 1921 book of etiquette says to give the birthday flower, whichever it is, prominence at the party. Several "birthday flower" and "birthday flowers" results, sometimes referring to flowers given on birthdays, but often times to specific flower species for a given month or date. In this 1878 story a character says "the orange-blossom was her birthday flower; for fifty years I have never failed to gather her a bouquet of them on her birthday." (In references like that, it's not always said why a species is a person's birthday flower; maybe it went by date, month, or was somehow assigned/chosen in childhood). An 1883 ad for a British book called "Birthday Flowers: Their Language and Legends," with color illustrations for every day of the year, includes in its lengthy description: "This sumptuous and elegant Birthday Book is the first in which our floral treasures have been laid under really effective contribution." The earliest mention of the book is an 1875 ad; it seems tied in with the Victorian-era Language of Flowers. -Agyle 23:24, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
- -Agyle 19:31, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
And even if this list was actual, then the bizarre thing is - How do February 30, 31 and 32 have birthday flowers too? --Kamath.nakul (talk) 03:14, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
The alternative list in Japanese Wikipedia is also interesting. Someone who can actually read Japanese should probably determine if that information belongs here. (I find that I like my Japanese birth flower much better than my English one...) 82.100.250.197 (talk) 20:50, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
Tradition?[edit]
Where and when does this tradition come from? I never heard about it. --Error (talk) 17:11, 6 December 2009 (UTC)
Just American, as usual[edit]
I've never heard of this either. Looks like someonme's copied it out of one book. If it exists in North American, then its yet another case of Americans being unable to get their heads around other countries having different customs and conventions. I say delete the article. 89.243.36.35 (talk) 19:47, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
Deletion[edit]
I believe this article should be deleted. There is a tradition of associating 12 flowers with birth month (birth flowers), but I can find no evidence of a tradition using 366 flowers. People may have been inspired to create lists of 366 plants (as appears to be the case here), but these proposals are not traditionally recognized and unlikely to be notable.
This particular list of 366 plants is completely arbitrary. Flowers are more or less randomly associated with days. There are frequent instances of 5-10 day periods where plants were assigned in alphabetical order. The various 12 flower list take seasonality into consideration; flowers are associated with a month in which they are likely to be blooming. Seasonality is not considered here and flowers are listed for dates when they are unlikely to be available. The list is supposed to apply to Europe and America, but there are plants exclusive to one continent. Vandalization has led to incorrect month lengths.Plantdrew (talk) 01:16, 12 November 2012 (UTC)
- Now I'm having a better thought. Redirecting List of birthday flowers to Birth flower, and mentioning the existence of day lists.Plantdrew (talk) 01:20, 12 November 2012 (UTC)