July Birth Flowers: Larkspur & Water Lily Meanings & Zodiac
Quick warning before we get into anything else: one of July’s two birth flowers can make you seriously sick if you eat it. Not exactly the cheerful opening line you’d expect for a flower tied to summer birthdays, but it’s true, and it’s the kind of detail that gets glossed over on a lot of other sites.
That flower is larkspur, and it’s paired with the water lily to cover July birth flowers. If you were born this month, you’ve got a bold, tall bloom on one hand and a calm, floating one on the other. Let’s get into both properly.
What Are July’s Birth Flowers?
July has two birth flowers: larkspur, the primary one, and water lily, the secondary. If you’ve been searching for birth flowers for July or what the birth flowers for July are, that’s the short version. But there’s a lot more worth knowing before you go buying either one for someone’s birthday.
Larkspur — The Primary July Birth Flower
Meaning & Symbolism
Larkspur represents positivity, an open heart, and strong emotional bonds. Its tall, spiked clusters of blooms almost look like they’re reaching upward on purpose, which fits the flower’s reputation for cheerfulness and lightness of spirit.
It’s also tied to dedication and strong attachment, making it a popular pick for anniversaries and long friendships, not just birthdays.
History & Mythology
Larkspur belongs to the buttercup family and is native to the Mediterranean, parts of Africa, and Europe, though it’s naturalized in gardens across the US today. Its common name comes from the shape of the flower’s spur, which looks a bit like the long claw on a lark’s back toe if you squint at it right.
The scientific name, Delphinium, comes from the Greek word for dolphin, since the unopened flower bud was thought to resemble one. Greek mythology also ties larkspur to the death of the warrior Ajax, with legend claiming the flower sprang from his blood after his death, its petal markings supposedly spelling out a mournful cry.
Is Larkspur Toxic? (Safety Note)
Here’s the part that deserves real attention. Every part of the larkspur plant is toxic to humans and animals if eaten, and this isn’t a minor “might cause an upset stomach” kind of toxic. Ingesting larkspur can affect the heart and nervous system, and it’s been responsible for livestock deaths on ranches where it grows wild.
Even after cutting, larkspur stays toxic in vase water, so if you’re putting together a bouquet for someone with small kids or curious pets at home, this is worth mentioning. Gardeners handling the plant directly are also told to wear gloves, since it can cause skin irritation for some people.
Larkspur Color Meanings
Purple larkspur is associated with first love, the kind of hopeful, early-stage romance that hasn’t fully settled in yet. Pink larkspur leans toward fickleness in older floral traditions, though modern usage tends to soften that into playful or lighthearted affection. White larkspur represents a joyful spirit, and blue, one of the more striking natural colors this flower comes in, ties to dignity and grace.
Personality Traits of Larkspur-Born People
People connected to larkspur as their birth flower tend to get described as open-hearted, upbeat, and a little bold. Not necessarily loud, but definitely not shy about showing enthusiasm. There’s also a resilience worth noting; larkspur handles poor soil and rough conditions better than a lot of showier garden flowers.
Water Lily — The Secondary July Birth Flower
Meaning & Symbolism
Water lily represents purity, spiritual enlightenment, and inner peace. It’s an aquatic flower, floating right on the surface of ponds and lakes, and it has this habit of opening each morning and closing again at night, a small daily ritual that’s made it a symbol of renewal in cultures all over the world.
Red water lilies in particular are tied to romance and passion, a nice contrast to the flower’s usual calm, meditative reputation.
History & Cultural Significance
Water lilies show up constantly in ancient Egyptian art, where they were linked to rebirth and the sun, since the flowers close at night and reopen each morning almost like they’re following the sun’s own cycle. In Buddhist and Hindu traditions, the closely related lotus carries similar symbolism around spiritual awakening, though technically lotus and water lily are different plants from different families.
More recently, water lilies became famous thanks to Claude Monet, who spent decades painting the water lily pond at his garden in Giverny, France. Those paintings are some of the most recognized artwork in the world, and honestly, they did more for the water lily’s popularity than centuries of folklore combined.
Personality Traits of Water Lily-Born People
If water lily feels closer to your personality than larkspur, you’re probably calm under pressure, reflective, and drawn to quiet moments over big, dramatic ones. People tied to this flower often have a steady, grounding presence, the kind of person who makes a chaotic room feel a little more manageable just by being in it.
July Zodiac Signs: Cancer & Leo
July covers two zodiac signs. If you were born before roughly July 22nd, you’re a Cancer. After that, you’re a Leo.
Cancer is intuitive, nurturing, and deeply emotional. Leo is confident, warm, and doesn’t mind being the center of attention.
How the Zodiac Connects to July’s Flowers
Cancer’s calm, emotional depth lines up well with the water lily’s quiet, reflective symbolism. Leo’s bold confidence matches larkspur’s tall, unmissable presence in a garden. Two very different personalities, two very different flowers, same birth month.
It’s a fun little pattern to notice, even if astrology isn’t something you take too seriously. Flower, sign, and stone all landing on similar themes without any of these old traditions actually talking to each other.
July Birthstone: Ruby
July’s birthstone is the ruby, a deep red gemstone that’s actually a variety of the mineral corundum, the same mineral family as sapphire. Rubies get their red color from trace amounts of chromium, and the more vivid the red, generally the more valuable the stone.
Rubies have symbolized passion, protection, and vitality for thousands of years. Ancient warriors reportedly embedded rubies into their skin or armor, believing the stone’s fiery color would make them more courageous in battle.
How the Ruby Complements Larkspur & Water Lily
Ruby’s fiery intensity mirrors larkspur’s bold, upright energy pretty directly. And its deep symbolism around protection pairs oddly well with water lily’s association with renewal, both are about coming through something and coming out stronger. Between the flowers and the stone, July ends up carrying a theme of resilience dressed up in summer color.
July Birth Flower Comparisons
June and July Birth Flowers: What’s the Difference?
June’s birth flowers are the rose and honeysuckle, tied to romance and devotion. July shifts the tone toward larkspur’s boldness and water lily’s calm. Where June leans classic and sentimental, July leans a little more dramatic and a little more reflective, depending on which of its two flowers you focus on.
July and August Birth Flowers: What’s the Difference?
August’s birth flowers are the gladiolus and poppy. Gladiolus, like larkspur, grows tall and upright, but it symbolizes strength and integrity rather than an open heart. Poppy leans into remembrance, a heavier theme than the water lily’s peaceful renewal. If you’re comparing bouquets side by side, July feels more emotionally varied, while August feels a bit bolder and more serious overall.
April and July Birth Flowers: What’s the Difference?
April’s birth flowers are the daisy and sweet pea, both small, delicate, and associated with innocence and gratitude. July’s larkspur and water lily are bigger in presence and carry more complex symbolism, positivity and dedication on one side, spiritual renewal on the other. If April is the quiet, honest cousin, July is the one who shows up with a little more flair.
July Birth Flower Tattoo Ideas
Larkspur and water lily tattoos both work well for different reasons: tall and structured versus soft and floating.
Larkspur Tattoo Designs
Fine-line larkspur tattoos usually show the tall spiked stem with several small blooms running along it, a good fit for the forearm, spine, or side ribs where the vertical shape has room to stretch out. Purple ink versions lean into the “first love” color meaning if that’s a message you want the piece to carry.
Water Lily Tattoo Designs
Water lily tattoos tend to go one of two directions: a realistic, detailed bloom with visible layered petals, or a more minimalist single-line outline. Placement on the ankle, shoulder, or back of the neck works well, since the flower’s round, symmetrical shape adapts nicely to smaller spaces.
Combining Both Flowers in One Design
Since July technically has two birth flowers, plenty of people combine larkspur and water lily into one tattoo, sometimes with the water lily floating below a tall larkspur stem to suggest a full pond-and-garden scene. It’s a nice way to capture both sides of the month, upright energy and calm reflection, in a single piece.
July Birth Flower Drawing Ideas & Pictures
If you’re sketching rather than getting inked, larkspur and water lily each bring something different to the page. Real larkspur photos usually show tall spikes packed with small, spurred blooms in shades of purple, blue, pink, or white, often growing in dense clusters that make the whole plant look almost architectural. Water lily pictures, by contrast, show a flat, open bloom floating on still water, usually pink, white, or red, with broad round lily pads spread out around it.
For drawing larkspur, start with a simple vertical line for the stem, then add small five-petaled flowers stacked closely along the top two-thirds of it, getting slightly smaller as you move upward. Keep the spacing a little uneven, since real larkspur blooms don’t line up in a perfectly neat row.
Water lily is a good beginner subject if you want something calmer to sketch. Draw a center circle for the flower’s core, then layer pointed oval petals around it in two or three overlapping rings. Add a simple lily pad beneath it, a wide, slightly notched circle, and you’ve got a complete, recognizable water lily without needing much detail work at all.
How to Grow Larkspur & Water Lily
Both plants can be rewarding to grow, but they need pretty different setups.
Planting, Sunlight & Care Tips
Larkspur wants full sun and well-drained soil, and it’s prone to a handful of problems: powdery mildew, crown rot, and pests like aphids and slugs. Watering at the base rather than overhead helps cut down on disease, and deadheading spent blooms encourages the plant to keep flowering through the season. Always wear gloves when handling it, given the toxicity we already covered.
Water lilies need an entirely different setup since they’re aquatic plants. It grows in ponds or large water-filled containers, needs at least a few hours of direct sun daily, and prefers still or slow-moving water. Smaller varieties can actually thrive in a half-barrel-sized container if you don’t have a full pond, which makes it more accessible than people usually assume.
One common mistake with larkspur: planting it somewhere reachable by pets or small children, given the toxicity risk. And with water lily, overcrowding is the usual issue; give it enough open water surface, or the leaves end up piled on top of each other and blooming poorly.
Fun Facts About July’s Birth Flowers
Larkspur is technically a member of the buttercup family, not something most people would guess just by looking at its tall, spiked shape.
Claude Monet’s water lily paintings, the Nymphéas series, include over 250 individual works, painted over roughly three decades at his garden in Giverny.Despite being toxic to eat, larkspur has historically been used in small, controlled doses in traditional medicine for treating certain parasites. However, this practice is genuinely dangerous and not something anyone should try today given how easy it is to miscalculate a safe amount.
Bold on One Side, Calm on the Other
Larkspur and water lily don’t have much in common at first glance; one shoots straight up toward the sky, the other floats flat and still on open water. But that contrast is really what makes July’s birth flowers interesting. You get an open, upbeat heart and a quiet, reflective one, both wrapped into a single birth month.
Curious what your own birth flower actually is, or checking one for a July birthday you’re shopping for? Head over to the birth flower finder tool on our homepage. Enter a birthday, and it’ll pull up the flower, zodiac sign, and birthstone all at once.
