Birth flower for June 5
Hollyhock
Meaning: ambition and fruitfulness
Its Chinese name, shu kui, points to Sichuan (Shu), where it was believed to come from, and it has been grown in China for over two thousand years. The stems shoot up to around two metres, opening flowers from the bottom upward. In Japan it is nicknamed the 'rainy-season hollyhock': when the blooms reach the very top, people say the rainy season is over.