Zodiac Flowers: Leo

Leo’s birth flowers are bold, bright and happy. The four birth flowers for Leo are marigold for passion, sunflower for loyalty, dahlia for dignity and safflower for magnetism. Find out how to grow these beauties in your garden.

Born between July 23 and August 22? Then you’re a Leo! Leo is represented by — you guessed it — the lion. And if you guessed that, you probably can also guess that it’s ruled by the sun and the lion’s element is fire.

You were born to be an outstanding leader. Because you see your teammates with the same confident lens that you see yourself, you encourage and inspire them to greater heights. When you take on a project, you dedicate yourself to it with a passion. Because you project such radiant confidence in yourself, others don’t see your vulnerabilities and insecurities, that you too need a hug and reassurance.

If you take your natural leadership and confidence too far, you dominate a group, refusing to admit that you were wrong. Instead, listen to others and allow yourself to be a little vulnerable. Your birth flowers are as strong and radiant as you are!

Your birth flowers are as strong and radiant as you are! Here are 4 Leo birth flowers and their meanings.

Marigold for Passion

Marigold is called the “herb of the sun”, as it is like a little yellow, orange, or red ball of petals that opens when the sun rises.

Marigolds represent powerful passion, especially orange marigolds, a quality that you, as a Leo, are quite familiar with. They also represent the creativity that you bring to a project.

Yellow marigolds represent positive energy and emotions like warmth, happiness, and joy. They look like little suns. When you lead a team, you bring that energy to your teammates. At your best, you help them see themselves the way you see them — competent and brilliant in their unique way.

Outside of their beauty, gardeners plant marigolds as companion plants to repel pests like aphids, flea beetles, and nematodes. If you keep deadheading (removing dead flowers), marigolds will continue to flower until the first frost.

As a cut flower, pair marigolds with other boldly coloured flowers like pink roses. You can also sew marigold blossoms together to make a garland.

Sunflower for Loyalty

Like marigolds, sunflowers are also a symbol of the sun. It does rather look like how you’d draw a sun symbol, with a circle surrounded by flames, and a sunflower turns its head toward the sun. The yellow colour symbolises vitality, intelligence, and happiness. Just looking at one boosts your spirits.

Sunflowers can also symbolize loyalty, longevity, and adoration. Loyalty is a big part of your leadership, and because of your loyalty and confidence in your teammates, your team is equally loyal to you.

Sunflowers are super easy to grow. Because they’re native to North America, they can adapt to most locations. If you have a large garden, go for the giant sunflowers towering over 6 feet tall. If you have a small garden or a container garden, pick a dwarf-sized variety.

They can also be really easy to arrange in a bouquet. Choose a large, tall vase with a smaller opening. Otherwise, these giant flowers will topple the vase. Cut the sunflowers to different heights to create an appealing sense of movement.

Dahlia for Dignity

Dahlias are another big and bold flower that stands out from the crowd, but also works well with other flowers. Likewise, while Leos like to be found in the centre of attention, that doesn’t mean they like to upstage others or push them out of the spotlight. Their plethora of petals comes together to create stunning patterns, just as you pull people toward you to a common goal.

While sunflowers and marigolds are all about the cheer Leos bring, dahlias represent their elegance, inner strength, and dignity. You take centre stage because you’re confident in your abilities, not because you’re a class clown.

To grow dahlias in your garden, plant tubers in the late spring once the cold has passed. They’re pretty sensitive to the cold. If you live in a cold zone, dig up the tubers in the autumn and store them during the winter. They blossom over your birthday from mid-summer into the autumn.

Dahlias are one of the longest-lasting cut flowers, and as a bonus, when you cut dahlias for bouquets, the dahlia plant produces more flowers! Dahlias are a versatile cut flower. Place a single bloom in a bubble vase, arrange an all-dahlia bouquet, or pair them with other blossoms of varying sizes.

Safflower for Magnetism

Safflowers aren’t the brightest or boldest of flowers. In fact, they’re quite prickly looking, resembling a thistle more than anything else. Leos are bold and confident, which can come off to others as arrogant and intimidating (not all signs are born with such confidence, Leos!). Your confident exterior hides your insecurities. If you need reassurance, you need to be open or even your closest companions may miss your needs.

On the flip side, safflowers are thought to represent attractiveness to others because of its sticky webbing. When you’re at your best, listening to others, revealing your vulnerabilities to others, and being loyal, people flock from all around to join you.

To grow this prickly-looking but utterly delicious flower, sow seeds after the last frost. They’re pretty heat-tolerant, requiring only occasional waterings to survive, although regular waterings will help them thrive. Avoid watering too heavily though. They like dry, quick-draining soil.

Safflowers add an unusual flair and fullness to a bouquet, and work well in everything from formal arrangements to old-fashioned bouquets.

Leos, celebrate your zodiac sign by planting marigolds, sunflowers, dahlias, and safflowers for the cheeriest cut flower garden on your block. Non-Leos, celebrate your favourite Leo team leader and friend with a bouquet of their zodiac birth flowers.