Birth flower for July 8
Oleander
Meaning: caution
The Chinese and Japanese name means 'bamboo-peach': slender bamboo-like leaves with peach-like blossoms. Oleander shrugs off drought, exhaust fumes and salty wind, which is why it lines highways and seafronts. After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, oleander was among the first plants to bloom again in the scorched city, a sign of hope for survivors, and it later became Hiroshima's official city flower.