Lily of the Valley (planted in Victoria Day, 2007-5-19)

Blooms: spring  Hardiness: Hardy

 

For such a sweet and delicate looking plant, Lily of the valley can be an invasive bully, pushing its way in wverywhere and overwhelming less vigorous plants. Gardeners are very forgiving of this habit in spring, when Lily-of –the-valley blooms. Perfectly bell-shaped, richly perfumed flowers remind us of why we planted Lily-of-the-valley in the first place. I was fortunate to purchase a clump with unusual striped foliage at the royal botanical Gardens annual plant sale. Now I enjoy my Lily-of-the-valley all summer and not just while it is in flower.

 

Planting

Seeding: Not recommended. Very easy to propagate by division.

Planting out: spring or fall.

Spacing About 30 cm. They will quickly spread and fill an area.

 

Growing

Lily-of-the-valley will grow well in any light from full sun to full shade. Soil should be of average fertility, humus rich, and moist, but almost any soil conditions are tolerated. This plant is drought resistant. Division is rarely required byt can be done whenever you need more plants for another area or to donate to someone else’s garden. The pairs of leaves grow from small pips, or eyes, that form along the root. Divide a length of root into pieces, leaving at least one pip on each piece.

 

Tips

This versatile groundcover can be grown in a variety of locations. It is a beautiful plant to naturalize in woodland gardens, perhaps bordering a pathway or beneath shad trees where little else will grow. It also makes a good groundcover in a shrub border where the dense growth and fairly shallow roots will keep the weeds down but won’t interfere with the shrubs.

 

Lily-of-the-valley can be quite invasive. It is a good idea not to grow it with plants that are less vigorous and likely to be overwhelmed, such as alpine plants in a rock grarden. Give Lily-of-the-valley plants plenty of space to grow and leave them to it. Avoid planting them where you may later spend all your time trying to get rid of them..

 

European legend claims the origin of Lily of the valley to be either the tears of the Virgin Mary shed at the cross or the tears of Mary Magdalen shed at Christ’s tomb.

 

Lily-of-the-valley is well known for the delightful scent of its flowers. In fall, dig up a few roots and plant them into pots. Keep the pots in sheltered section of the garden, such a window well, cold frame or unheated porch, for the winter. In early spring you can bring the pots indoors and enjoy the flowers and their scent.

 

Problems and pests

Occasional problems with moulds and stem rot can occur.

 

Lily-of-the-valley is currently being researched for its potential medicinal qualities.(摘录)