The delicate lily of the valley with its pure white flowers is a symbol of purity and innocence in floral language, which is why a bouquet of these pretty flowers is often given as a gift for Mother's Day. In any case, the pretty perennial has its main flowering period in the sunny month of May and often shows off its flowers on a large scale during this time. In the garden, our native lily of the valley turns out to be an easy-care early bloomer that conquers the beds all by itself over time. But be careful: this seemingly innocent plant is highly poisonous.
Lily of the valley – when do they bloom and where do they grow?
Lilies of the valley (Convallaria majalis) are pretty, poisonous plants that bloom in May and are found in Europe, parts of Asia and North America. They symbolize purity and innocence and are often given as gifts for Mother's Day. In the garden they prefer shady places and grow well with other early bloomers.
Origin and meaning
The lily of the valley (bot. Convallaria majalis) is common in almost all of Europe as well as in parts of Asia and North America, primarily in oak and beech forests. The species is only rarely represented in southern Europe and is found here mainly in the valleys of the mountains at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters - which is what the Latin name refers to, as "Convallaria" means something like "valley". The plants form large groups in their natural habitats, but are protected and therefore may not be picked or removed. You may only use specimens cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes as cut flowers.
In Christian symbolism, the lily of the valley, also known as the Marian flower, plays a major role and stands for the innocence and purity of Mary, the Mother of God. This meaning has been transferred into the language of flowers, which is why the flower today generally stands for intimate, chaste love. In earlier times, the lily of the valley was also considered a symbol of medicine, which is why important healers were often portrayed with the flower.
Usage
Since the lily of the valley prefers a shady place in the garden, as in its natural habitat, you should primarily use it to underplant trees. The rapidly spreading perennials in the company and grape hyacinths (bot. Muscari) and tulips (bot. Tulipa), but also the spring commemorative plant (bot. Omphalodes verna), the alpine fairy flower (bot. Epimedium alpinum), the woodruff (bot. Galium odoratum) or the small periwinkle (bot. Vinca minor) create distinctive combinations that can be admired every year.
Appearance and growth
May flower, May rose or even May lily: The lily of the valley has many names, as it once played an important role in the symbolic language of flowers for many peoples. The small perennial grows to a height of between 15 and 25 centimeters, with the long, lanceolate leaves sprouting from the perennial rootstock from around mid-April. The mostly dark green leaves have a shiny upper surface and closely spaced, arcuate leaf veins. They always grow together in pairs and are surrounded by a bract. The slightly taller flower stalk sprouts between the leaves and bears between five and 13 small, white flowers with the characteristic bell shape between May and June. They exude a pleasantly sweet scent. From July onwards, the bright red berries appear and are often eaten by birds.
Toxicity
The pretty lily of the valley is highly poisonous and potentially fatal, especially for children and animals. All parts of the plants contain convallatoxin as the main active ingredient as well as other heart-active glycosides, with the bright red berries being a dangerous temptation, especially for children. But lily of the valley bouquets are not without danger either, as the plant's toxins are transferred into the flower water - and children may drink it or otherwise come into contact with it. Poisoning is manifested by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as well as visual disturbances and dizziness, although not all symptoms have to appear at once. In the event of severe poisoning, cardiac arrhythmias and even cardiac arrest can occur, although fatal consequences are very rare.
Lily of the valley as a medicinal plant
Lily of the valley has also been used in medicine since ancient times. Corresponding preparations are still important medicines for heart diseases today and are intended to help in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. The heart-strengthening effect of the plant - in the right dosage - has been known for many centuries and was described by Hieronymus Bock in the 16th century. However, you should never make remedies from lily of the valley on your own, as the line between healing and poisonous is extremely narrow and a potentially fatal overdose can quickly occur.
How to distinguish between lily of the valley and wild garlic
Spring is wild garlic season and many people go into the forest with baskets and knives to harvest the aromatic wild garlic. But be careful: wild garlic leaves look very similar to those of lily of the valley, so that uninformed people unknowingly poison themselves every year. Although wild garlic leaves - in contrast to those of lily of the valley - have an unmistakable smell of garlic, this quickly sticks to your hands when collected - and distinguishing them using a smell test is practically impossible. Please pay attention to the following features to avoid confusion:
- Sprout: Wild garlic sprouts from February / March, while lily of the valley only sprouts from mid-April
- Leaf stems: Wild garlic has green-white leaf stems without a leaf sheath, that of the lily of the valley is covered by a membranous, greenish to brownish leaf sheath
- Leaves: the leaf veins of wild garlic are approx. three to four millimeters apart, whereas those of lily of the valley are very close together, and lily of the valley leaves are often darker in color and have a shiny underside
- Roots: Wild garlic is a bulbous plant, while lily of the valley has almost horizontal rhizomes
Location and soil
As a typical forest plant, the lily of the valley prefers a semi-shady to shady spot in the garden, where the soil is as fresh to moist as possible, low in lime and rich in humus. An acidic pH value between 4, 5 and 6 is ideal. However, the location should not be too shady, because if there is a lack of sunlight, the flowering will decline. Intense sunlight during midday should also be avoided. Lean soil can be improved very well with compost, a little clay and, if necessary, sand. Plant the flower under trees or in the partial shade of ornamental shrubs.
Culture in pots
On the balcony or terrace, the pretty lily of the valley can also be cultivated in a bucket or other planter, as long as it is not too sunny or hot there. To do this, plant the rhizomes horizontally in the pot that you have previously filled with a mixture of compost soil and a little sand. Choose a pot that is as wide as possible and at least 12 centimeters in diameter so that the plants have enough space to form root shoots. Cover the rootstock with just a little soil and allow the eyes to peek out slightly from the substrate. The substrate, in turn, should be kept well moist, but under no circumstances wet to avoid rot.
By the way: If you plant the lily of the valley rhizome in a planter in November or December and cultivate it on the windowsill at around 20 degrees Celsius, the plant will bloom significantly earlier. However, the plant needs a cold stimulus to form flowers, otherwise only leaves are visible. After flowering, put the lily of the valley back outside or plant it out.
Planting lilies of the valley correctly
The delicate lily of the valley is best planted in the previous autumn so that the flowers receive the cold stimulus they need to bloom. Maintain a planting distance of at least ten centimeters between the individual plants and under no circumstances forget the rhizome barrier: the vigorous lilies of the valley spread very quickly through runners, displace other plants and can therefore become a pest. Alternatively, you can pierce the surrounding soil with a spade at regular intervals and prevent the rhizomes from spreading. Otherwise, proceed as follows when planting:
- Dig a planting hole about ten centimeters deep.
- Lift mature compost under the excavated soil.
- Place the rhizomes horizontally in the planting hole with the eyes facing upwards.
- Fill the planting hole and press the soil lightly.
- Water abundantly.
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Watering and fertilizing
Lilies of the valley are pleasingly low-maintenance and, once planted and established, require little more attention. Above all, water young, freshly planted specimens sufficiently so that they grow well. Fertilization is basically not necessary, but you can cover the plants grown in autumn with a thick layer of compost or leaf mold to provide fresh nutrients.
Cut lilies of the valley correctly
After flowering, remove the withered shoots to prevent the formation of highly poisonous berries. No further cutting measures are necessary.read more
Propagate lilies of the valley
Once planted, lilies of the valley multiply on their own and need to be limited in their spread. However, for targeted propagation, it is best to proceed as described below:
- Dig up the rootstocks lying flat in the ground.
- To do this, lift the plant and its rhizome out of the ground with a digging fork.
- The best time for this is after the flowering period in June or July.
- Cut some roots into larger pieces.
- Dig planting holes approximately ten centimeters deep at the new location.
- Put the root pieces in one at a time.
- Refill the planting holes with compost.
Alternatively, you can simply divide individual pieces of a larger lily of the valley planting and plant them separately. On average, up to six young plants develop from an approximately 15 centimeter piece of root.read more
Wintering
Lilies of the valley are absolutely hardy and do not require winter protection. Specimens that are only cultivated in pots and other planters must be protected from the substrate and thus the roots freezing. To do this, either place the container in a cool and bright place, for example on a window sill, in a greenhouse or in a winter garden, or you can wrap the container with a frost-insulating material and place it on a thick base made of wood or Styrofoam.
Diseases and pests
Lilies of the valley are quite susceptible to certain fungal diseases, such as the rust fungus Puccinia sessilis var.sessilis or gray mold (Botrytis cinerea). Treatment always involves vigorous pruning of infected plants, which should never be disposed of in the compost - the fungal spores survive here and are ultimately distributed further throughout the garden with the ripe compost. Always throw infected plant material into the trash or burn it. If, on the other hand, you discover small, shiny red beetles on your lilies of the valley, they are the so-called lily beetles. This pest and its larvae can be easily repelled with a strong jet of water from the garden hose or by sprinkling dried coffee grounds.
Tip
Lily of the valley makes very good, long-lasting cut flowers. To do this, only cut off slightly open flower stems and score them lightly. You can either care for the flowers alone in a vase or arrange them together with other plants - such as gerberas or ferns - to form a bouquet. In this case, you should first put the poisonous lilies of the valley separately for a few hours to flush out the toxins. Then pour away the vase water. Lilac, on the other hand, cannot be combined with lily of the valley as it wilts quickly in the vicinity of the poisonous perennial.
Species and varieties
Until 1994, the lily of the valley (bot. Convallaria majalis) belonged botanically to the lily family, but has since been assigned to the genus Convallaria, which only has three species, within the asparagus family (bot. Asparagaceae). This group only includes the species Convallaria majalis and two subspecies, of which Convallaria majalis var. keiskei is native between Siberia and Japan and Convallaria majalis var. montana is native to parts of the USA.
Lily of the valley varieties
However, only the different varieties of Convallaria majalis are used as ornamental plants, although these are usually only available in specialist shops: in the garden center you can only get the species without a variety assignment. Nevertheless, it is worth keeping an eye out for varieties of the pretty perennial:
- 'Bridal Choice': up to 12 white, delicately scented flowers, deep green foliage
- ‘Fortins Giant’: also “giant lily of the valley”, long-stemmed with particularly large, fragrant individual flowers
- ‘Grandiflora’: particularly large, white flowers with a strong scent, green foliage
- 'Hardwick Hall': attractive variety with white flowers, dark green foliage with white edge
- 'Hitscherberger Riesenperle': lots of white flowers, long flower stalk, green foliage, perfect as a cut flower
- ‘Hofheim’: white flowers, light green foliage with yellowish-white leaf edges
- 'Lineata': white flowers, green foliage with yellow vertical stripes
- 'Plena': pretty variety with double, pink-white flowers, green foliage
- 'Prolificans': double, white flowers with green foliage
- 'Rosea': small, delicate pink flowers, green foliage
- 'Silberconfolis': fast-growing variety with lots of white flowers, green foliage with silvery edges
- 'Vierländer Glockenspiel': variety specially bred for cutting with white flowers, long stems and green foliage
Japanese lily of the valley (bot. Reineckea carnea)
Sometimes a species called “Japanese lily of the valley” is available commercially, which is a species only distantly related to Convallaria majalis and has the botanical name Reineckea carnea. However, it looks neither similar to our native lily of the valley nor does it bloom in the wonderful month of May. However, the perennial, which grows to a height of around 30 centimeters, spreads just as much as the lily of the valley and prefers a partially shaded location with fresh, humus-rich substrate. The delicately scented flower shoots, which are reminiscent of orchids, only appear in late summer and bloom until October. The narrow foliage is evergreen.
False lily of the valley (bot. Polygonatum odoratum)
Externally quite similar to lily of the valley - and also related to it - is Solomon's seal, which is also native to us and is also known as white root. The genus includes three species, of which the Solomon's seal (bot. Polygonatum odoratum) is found growing wild primarily in forests and on the edges of forests and sometimes also in meadows. The greenish-yellow flowers appear between April and June and exude a delicate scent, which is why the species is also known as sweet-smelling white root. You can occasionally buy the pretty perennial in stores under the name false lily of the valley. The culture conditions of both species are very similar.
Two-leaved shade flower (bot. Maianthemum bifolium)
This small, attractive perennial is also counted among the Convallariacea and is therefore both related to the lily of the valley and externally quite similar. In nature, the group-forming plant is increasingly found in many forests on acidic, nutrient-rich soils. It is also very suitable for cultivation in the garden and spreads quickly thanks to its vigorous rhizomes. The species only grows to around 15 centimeters high and produces numerous white, delicately scented flowers that appear between May and June. However, the equally poisonous wild perennial is still rarely found in the garden.
Star lily of the valley (bot. Speirantha gartdenii)
This is also not a real lily of the valley, but a related species that is also classified in the Convallariaceae. The star lily of the valley has its home in China and produces numerous pretty, slightly fragrant flower stars between May and June. The perennial grows up to 30 centimeters high and can be socialized very well with lily of the valley and its relatives. Like all members of the plant family, this pretty flower is highly poisonous.
