The October birth flowers are the marigold and the cosmos. Marigolds are bushy plants with strongly scented leaves and orange, yellow or rust-red flowers. Cosmos are tall and airy, with daisy-like blooms in pink, white and crimson on thin stems. Both come from Mexico and bloom until frost. By tradition the marigold stands for warmth and remembrance, the cosmos for harmony.
What is the birth flower for October?
October has two, and both are fairly recent choices. A table of the months printed in the United States in 1913, in George Frederick Kunz's The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, gave October hops. Modern charts list the marigold, with the cosmos as its partner. Nobody ever issued an official list, so the flowers shifted with fashion. Our guide to birth flowers by month shows the present pairs for all twelve months.
Type a birth date below to see its flowers, its birthstone, its zodiac sign and the day of the week.
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Marigold: what it looks like and when it blooms
Garden marigolds are the genus Tagetes, about 50 species in the daisy family. NC State Extension gives their home as Mexico and Central and South America. Their common names are misleading.
- African marigold (Tagetes erecta). Also called American or Aztec marigold. It is native to Mexico and Guatemala, not Africa. Plants grow 1 to 4 feet tall (30 cm to 1.2 m) with large, full, ball-shaped flowers.
- French marigold (Tagetes patula). Also from Mexico and Guatemala. A compact plant 6 to 12 inches tall (15 to 30 cm) with smaller flowers in yellow, orange and red-brown, often two-toned.
Both have finely cut leaves with a sharp scent, and both bloom from early summer until the first frost.
Marigold or calendula? The pot marigold, Calendula officinalis, is a separate plant from the Mediterranean with simpler orange or yellow daisies. NC State lists "common marigold" among its names, so old books that say only "marigold" may mean either plant. The October birth flower on American charts is Tagetes.
Cosmos: what it looks like and when it blooms
The garden cosmos is Cosmos bipinnatus, an annual in the daisy family from Mexico.
- Size. From 2 to 4 feet tall (60 cm to 1.2 m), sometimes more.
- Flower. Open, daisy-like blooms with broad rays in pink, white, lavender or deep crimson around a yellow center.
- Leaves. Fine and feathery.
- Season. Summer to fall.
A second species, Cosmos sulphureus, has yellow and orange flowers. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, cosmos reached Spain from Mexico in the 1500s and England in the 1700s, and Spanish priests who grew it in mission gardens named it for its orderly petals.
What do the October birth flowers mean?
The meanings come from the Victorian language of flowers, which had many dictionaries and no agreed version. For October the old and new readings are far apart. The table sets Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (London, 1884) beside the meanings the Almanac gives today.
| Flower | In Greenaway, 1884 | Common reading today |
|---|---|---|
| Marigold | "Grief" | Warmth, joy, remembrance |
| Marigold, African | "Vulgar minds" | (not separated today) |
| Marigold, French | "Jealousy" | (not separated today) |
| Cosmos | (not listed) | Order, harmony, peace |
| Cosmos, red | (not listed) | Love and passion |
| Cosmos, pink | (not listed) | A mother's love |
| Cosmos, yellow | (not listed) | Friendship |
| Cosmos, white | (not listed) | Faithfulness |
The marigold kept its link with grief but gained a brighter side. Its best-known role is in Mexico's Day of the Dead. Families decorate graves and home altars with marigolds, and the color and scent are said to guide the souls of the dead home. Marigolds have been grown in Mexico for more than 2,000 years. In India a marigold garland is a sign of friendship, and the flowers are used at Hindu weddings. The name is usually explained as "Mary's gold."
The cosmos has no Victorian entry in Greenaway, so its meanings are modern. They follow the name: order and harmony. The Almanac also names cosmos as a flower for a second wedding anniversary.
Read all of it as tradition. A birth flower is a kind word about a date, not a description of a person.
Are marigolds safe to handle?
NC State Extension rates Tagetes as low in toxicity but notes that the sap can cause skin redness and irritation in some people, especially in sunlight, and that the scent can bother the eyes and nose. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive, and wash your hands after cutting the plants.
Marigolds were long used in folk remedies and as a dye. That is history; this page does not suggest eating them or using them on skin.
How to give October's birth flowers
- A pot of marigolds. A pot in bloom keeps flowering on a sunny step until frost.
- A loose bouquet. Cosmos have long, thin stems and suit an informal bunch. Marigolds add weight and color at the base.
- Seeds. Both are among the easiest annuals to grow from seed, which makes a packet of each a good present for a new gardener or a child's first garden.
- A drawing, print or tattoo design. The marigold is drawn as a dense, rounded head of many ruffled petals. The cosmos is drawn as a ring of broad rays around a small center, on a long stem with thread-like leaves.
- With the stone. October's birthstones are opal and tourmaline. Pink cosmos echo pink tourmaline. See our October birthstone page.
How to grow marigolds and cosmos
- Wait for warmth. Sow or plant both after the last frost. Cosmos seed wants soil at about 65°F (18°C).
- Give them sun. At least half a day of direct sun for cosmos, full sun for marigolds.
- Do not sow deeply. Rake cosmos seed lightly into loose soil.
- Remove faded flowers. Both bloom longer when spent flowers are taken off.
- Stake tall plants. Tall cosmos and African marigolds can fall over in wind and rain.
Cosmos will often seed itself and return the next year.
Next in the calendar: November's chrysanthemum. Before it: September's aster and morning glory.