Flower calendar · October
October flowers: blue flowers and autumn
October starts with Boyfriend Day and its blue flowers, celebrates Argentine mothers in spring and ends with Mexico’s orange fields of cempasúchil.
- Big date
- October 3Boyfriend Day
- In Argentina
- Mother’s Day3rd Sunday of October
- In season in Spain
- Chrysanthemum and dahliaasters, autumn roses
- In Mexico
- Cempasúchilfor the Day of the Dead
Dates for giving flowers in October
| Date | What is celebrated and why | Flower | Color | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| every year | Boyfriend Day (Día del Novio) It was born in 2014 as #NationalBoyfriendDay and in Latin America it became the answer to yellow flowers: blue flowers and bouquets made of Hot Wheels cars wrapped in paper and ribbons. | Blue flowers or a Hot Wheels bouquet | Blue | Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Spain |
| 3rd Sunday of October | Mother’s Day Argentina celebrates mothers in spring, on the third Sunday of October, so it coincides with the best flower season of the southern hemisphere. | Roses and lilies | Pink | Argentina |
October 3, Boyfriend Day, was born in 2014 as #NationalBoyfriendDay and in Latin America became the answer to yellow flowers: if she gets yellow in September, he gets blue flowers or a bouquet made of Hot Wheels cars. It’s all in the blue flowers guide.
In Argentina, the third Sunday of October is Mother’s Day, in the middle of the southern spring, with roses and lilies. Other dates in the month:
- October 5: World Teachers’ Day.
- October 9: the Colombian variant of purple flowers.
- October 16: Teachers’ Day in Chile.
- End of October: in Mexico, Day of the Dead altars start going up.
Flowers in season in October
| Month | Spain | Mexico and Central America | Argentina, Chile and Uruguay |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | chrysanthemum, dahlia, rose, aster, hypericum | cempasúchil, cockscomb (terciopelo), baby’s breath (gypsophila), chrysanthemum, rose | rose, lilium, lilac, stock, ranunculus |
In Colombia, Ecuador and the Andes, the high-altitude climate lets growers produce roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, alstroemerias and hydrangeas all year round: that is why they are two of the world’s largest flower exporters. This table is a guide: the season changes with the area and the year, and greenhouses extend almost all of them.
In Spain autumn arrives and with it chrysanthemums, the last dahlias, asters and autumn roses; hypericum berries add color to bouquets. In Mexico, October is the month of cempasúchil: the fields turn orange and the markets fill with terciopelo (cockscomb) and baby’s breath for the altars. In Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, full spring with roses, lilies, lilacs and stock, just in time for Mother’s Day.
What to give in October
- Boyfriend Day: blue hydrangeas, blue roses or a mixed blue and white bouquet. On a tight budget, a single blue flower with a Hot Wheels car tied to the stem.
- Mother’s Day in Argentina: roses, lilies or a spring bouquet with lilacs and stock.
- For your teacher: a flower or a small plant with a note.
- For autumn decorating: dahlias, colorful chrysanthemums and branches with reddish leaves.
Tips for the month
Natural blue flowers are scarce: most blue roses are dyed and sell out in the days before the 3rd. Order them in advance or go for hydrangeas, which give lots of volume. If you’re buying cempasúchil for the altar, do it just a few days before so it’s fresh for November 1 and 2.
November is a busy month: All Saints’ Day, the Day of the Dead, purple flowers on the 9th and Men’s Day on the 19th. Download the reminders so you don’t miss any of them.
Remind me 3 days before
Download the reminder and open it with your phone’s calendar: it repeats every year and alerts you three days before, so you have time to order the bouquet.
Frequently asked questions
Which flowers are given on October 3?
Blue flowers or a Hot Wheels bouquet, for Boyfriend Day. Hydrangeas, dyed blue roses, delphinium or blue lisianthus are the most sought after.
When is Mother’s Day in Argentina?
On the third Sunday of October. Roses and lilies are the most popular flowers.
Which flowers are in season in October?
In Spain, chrysanthemums, dahlias, asters, autumn roses and hypericum. In Mexico, cempasúchil, terciopelo and baby’s breath. In the Southern Cone, roses, lilies, lilacs and stock.
Are purple flowers given in October?
In Colombia an October 9 variant of the purple flowers trend circulates, although the most widespread date is November 9.
When is Teachers’ Day in Chile?
On October 16. October 5 is also UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day.
