Japanese floral calendar

Japan has flowers for every season and that is how the hanagoyomi, the floral calendar, was born, listing the favorite flower or tree for each month of the year.

Here is one example of such a list (for certain months there are variants although cherries are always linked with April!):

January - pine (matsu)

February - plum (ume)

[Plum trees in Osaka Castle's Plum Garden]

March - peach (momo)

April - cherry (sakura)

[Cherry blossoms in Ninnaji Temple, Kyoto]

May - azalea (tsutsuji), peony (shakuyaku), tree peony (botan) and wisteria (fuji)

June - iris (shobu), hydrangea (ajisai)

July - morning glory (asagao)

[Lotus flower in Hokongoin Temple, Kyoto]

August - lotus (hasu)

September - bushclover (hagi) and other "seven grasses of autumn"

October - chrysanthemum (kiku)

[Maple splendor in Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto]

November - maples (momiji)

December - camellia (tsubaki)