Convallaria majalis
The first fourth dimension I encounter lily of the vale , I smelled it before I realize it .
I was hike near a forested swamp and was caught off guard by something that smelled pleasant . But are n’t swamp topographic point for fetid olfactory property and that delicate , lingering stench of bear piss ?
I wondered what it could be .
I followed my sniffer and spot a big patch of green - leave plant with stalks of hanging white-hot blossom . It took half a mo to identify what I was learn because absorbing plant and animal ID guides was a favourite pursuit when I was growing up .
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These white efflorescence left an impression on me , and I recognize they had to go in my crime syndicate ’s garden . It took some shopping ( this was before smartphones and the “ Everybody sire a Website ” age ) , but we acquired some and plant them . Beautiful , fragrant flush , here I come !
blink forward a duad of years and that little eyepatch dedicate to lily of the vale grow into a huge swath of nigh ungovernable greenness .
It took a few season of dedicated removal , but we did last curb the lily of the valley , and added some plastic barriers to prevent it from spreading more in the future tense .
It ’s a beautiful industrial plant with a delicious and aromatic aroma , but adding it to the garden without the correct preparation can result to major concern in the future . Let ’s get into what lily of the vale is all about , and how to add it to your yard and garden with minimal future fuss .
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
generation
Bloom Type
Bloom Time
Planting for Success
celebrate it in hitch
Cultivars to Select
Pests and Disease
Botanically have a go at it asConvallaria majalis , lily of the vale develop naturally throughout the northern hemisphere in Europe , Asia , and North America .
Common name(s):Lily of the vale , May bells , May lily , muguet , Mary ’s tear , and Our Lady ’s tears
flora type : Herbaceous anthesis perennial
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):2 - 9 , favor cool winters
Native to : Temperate Europe and Asia
blossom fourth dimension : springiness
vulnerability : fond to full shade
Soil case : fat and moist , like that of a woodland , well draining
ground pH:6.0 - 6.5 , slightly acidic
meter to maturity : industrial plant in fall for spring growth
Spacing : Can be bunch planted
Planting depth:1/8 inch ( seeds ) or depth of root ball ( transplants )
Mature size:12 - 22 inches high with densely packed rhizome - base growth
Water penury : Moderate , keep moist if possible
Taxonomy
monastic order : Asparagales
kinfolk : Asparagaceae
Genus : Convallaria
Species : majalis
Also jazz as May campana , May lily , muguet , Mary ’s tears , and Our Lady ’s tears , the plant life is extremely odoriferous flowering herbaceous perennial that normally grows in forest and forested preferences and in coolheaded , temperate part .
C. majalisisa repeated plant . Two basal leaf acquire from the ground and have a lovely flower stem that pops from between , and it is adorned with up to 15 tiny , fragrant , bell - mold flowers .
In cooler climates , the leaves can appease twelvemonth - rotund , but they be given to shrink and disappear during spicy weather condition .
Lily of the valley isrelated to asparagusand grow through runner and rootstock , propagate out into immense colonies . This eagerness to scatter is why it becomes so hard to tame in the garden , unless decently restricted .
Is it Invasive ?
Lily of the valley plant are aboriginal to Europe and Asia . However , they ’ve tame in the eastern part of the US and can get quite “ vigorous . ” Some body politic and local area have declared them as invasive or as noxious reads . Read more about it here .
Many countries in Europe are abominably fond of lily of the valley . It ’s a traditional ( and expensive ) bridal bouquet bloom for weddings , including the bouquet used in the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton .
It ’s the nascency flower of the month of May , the time of class when lily of the vale is most often in full display . C. majalisis also the flowered emblem of Yugoslavia , and is Finland ’s home flower .
In Christian mythology , lily of the valley is said to have leap from the ground where the Virgin Mary ’s tears fell during the crucifixion . Alternatively , the plant is said to have spring from the ground when Eve cry for being kicked out of the Garden of Eden .
The attention to Christian mythology is what earns the works its nickname , “ Mary ’s tears . ” It also spawn a popular church doctrine air by Willie Nelson . It is n’t my style , but hey , maybe you ’ll delight it !
Toxicity
C. majalis is incredibly toxic . badly , every part of the works is poisonous .
If you ’ve produce it in the yard or see it in the field , ensure baby and animals abstain from eating the red berries , or champ on the leaves or bloom .
The plant possesses nearly 40 unlike cardiac glycoside , an organic compound used to address congestive heart issue . However , in anything but accurate and meticulously measured amounts , these toxin can prove to be deathly .
Lily of the vale produces a very rare amino group dot as well , but this also contributes to the toxicity of the industrial plant .
It ’s proficient to be safe than sorry , so wash your work force after handling C. majalis to debar accidental pollution .
The plant broadly spreads by organize large colony through rhizomes ( secret rootage - alike stem ) from which it produces upright spiky shoot ( often visit “ pips ” ) at the closing of the stolons during the summertime .
The radar target produce to into 6–12 inch stems and produce one or two 4–10 in upright black - unripened , lance - alike leaves . All of the upright piano stems persist connected underground with other shoots and form heavy colonies if leave unchecked .
Lily of the vale can also unfold itself by produce orange - red Charles Edward Berry with several seed each .
However , the plant is self - sterile meaning that it requires multiple single plants for pollenation that are n’t tie in by a rhizome / stolon structure . If a mass of Lily of the Valley is based from one single plant forming a colony , they ’ll never grow berry .
Lily of the valley produce strands ( raceme ) of five to fifteen small , bell - shaped prime pattern as strands on top of a unmarried stem above the leaves . Each blossom consist of six white ( most common ) or pinkish tepal . Theflowers are super fragrantand are used in aroma and medley .
As previously mentioned , these flowers can produce red berries with semen if conditions are right .
Lily of the valley typically bloom in early to mid spring for three or four weeks – which is significantly long than most other springiness perennial . In colder climates their bloom clip may start later and extend into early summertime .
This fragrant timber recurrent can also be used as a houseplant and be forced into blooming anytime of the year .
Growing Conditions
C. majalisis at its best in area with a cool wintertime , although it will uprise inUSDA Hardiness Zones2 - 9 .
I spotted my first lily of the valley contiguous to a down , wet , and swampy patch in the timber . In the year since then I ’ve encounteredC. majalisin standardized locations , and its preferred home ground tend to include a few cardinal features :
When we institute lily of the valley in our 1000 , it ’s our goal to duplicate these conditions as best we can .
This is one of those garden plus that grows like wild , but only when the right condition are met . I ’ve draw a patch of it growing in my front yard underneatha yew hedgethat is very distressed , so believe me when I tell you : you want to makeC. majalishappy .
Luckily , it ’s loose to take aid of that . Here are some things to keep in mind :
Light
Lily of the valley really dig its metre in the shade . I imagine it does the best when it gets some morning light , maybe a few hours worth , and gets to quetch back in the cool shade from about 10 a.m. forwards .
Although it can handle more sun , in central , it postulate much more water to do . And in conditions that are too sunny , it plainly wo n’t flower .
As the season carries on and we are bombarded with summer sun , expect to see yourC. majaliswilting , getting crispy , and look otherwise unpleasant . This is a natural and expected phase for the flora .
plainly cut back and move out the leaves once they ’re more crispy than immature to clean up the area .
Water
This plant life is a fan of mess of water and unspoilt drain . Most of the wild lily of the vale I ’ve encountered was acquire on a slope where it receive raft of water overflow , but did n’t seat in stagnant pool .
If your location for lily of the valley is in a gay locus , it ’ll need mickle of extra piddle .
This was , I guess , the primary flunk of my own chunk ofC. majalis . The front yard outside of my theater is very wry and seemingly impossible to keep wet with a hose . I start using a soaker hosiery near the high decimal point of summertime and it work well ; just keep in judgment that the longer your run of hosepipe is , the weaker the pressure is going to be .
endeavor to keep your hose duration at 25 feet or so . I run a length of 20 foot hose from the spigot to the alky hosiery and it knead wonderfully .
Mulch aids in watering , but we ’ll touch on that in the next subdivision .
Nutrition
Do n’t interest about spending plenty of money on fancy fertilizer for lily of the valley !
A yearly increase ofrich , constitutive compostis saint for fuelingC. majalis . put on a nice level of mulch , maybe 1 to 2 inches in profoundness , and let it break down naturally to append the ground around your lily of the valley .
at the same time a pro and con of planting lily of the valley is its desire to scatter out and grow . You ’ve got a few options here …
1. Let It Go Wild
If you ’ve got the space and conditions for it , allow that lily fly wild ! It ’ll happily spread out and replete in whatever space it is given . This can be an attractive method acting to check eroding .
2. Keep It Fenced In
apply a timber garden edging to cordon off your lily of the valley , to keep it where it ’s supposed to be .
This is an appealing selection because it guarantees a stocky , healthy covering ofC. majalisexactly where you need it to be , and foreclose it from sneak into new terrain .
3. Divide It Regularly
My method acting of choice is to allow lily of the valley to get freely , then divide out the chunks I find unsuitable in the former winter . November or December is ideal for doing this , butearly spring work out too .
At this dot I ’m able-bodied to shuffle the plant life around to new locations in the yard , or I can offer extras to friends and family .
We do n’t need to be too careful with the root stock here . It respond well to being divided , although it may take a full year before transplanted incision will get flowers .
Find more tips on dividing lily of the vale here .
Lily of the valley is often useable in the spring at garden centers , usually sell in groups of pips or jacket crown .
Occasionally you could find diminished flats uncommitted for sale , but most often the plant is sold as a unornamented root pedigree ; in big box stores you ’ll find it near the berries and bulb sell in box in the spring .
C. majalis plants and spot
Packages of 4 springy plants or 10 pips areavailable from Burpee .
C. majalis ‘ Bordeaux ’
A larger cultivar foretell ‘ Bordeaux’is a nice alternative for the cutting garden . It has turgid bloom , and stalwart , taller stems that max out at about 8 in grandiloquent . Crowns in package of 3 areavailable from Burpee .
C. majalis ‘ Rose ’
lastly , if you ’re look for something a piffling different , tryC. majalis‘Rose . ’This pale pinkish cultivar is very rarefied , so get it while you may ! Packages of 3 crowns each areavailable from Burpee .
It ’s safest to hook the rhizomes in water for an hour or so before planting , to ensure a secure , lasting basis when they ’re transplanted .
You ’ll be happy to learn that lily of the valley is rather robust and resistant to most pest . It ’s even deer and lapin resistant ( likely thanks to the toxins discover throughout the plant ) .
Except for a few weevils that may get minimum cosmetic damage well afterC. majalisblooms , the only creepy crawly that do difficulty is the slug .
A shallow denture with a sacrificial beer offer is usually enough toattract and dispose of slugsin most scenarios . All you want is a willingness to pullulate out utterly good beer .
The primary trouble afflicting lily of the valley is the potential for fungal trouble . Most of these issues can be resolve by water in good order – call up to get the soil smashed , not the leave-taking .
When job do arise , they can usually be controlled with trustworthy neem oil colour .
The bulk of fungous problems involve an unattractive looking leaf ; it couldhave yellowish halos , a yellow-bellied or brownish color to the leaf veins , or black and brownish spots .
commemorate , lily of the valley problems are almost totally relegated to fungal topic , so proper watering exercise and careful neem and fungicide treatment will save the day .
The only other disease common to this plant is southerly blight . you’re able to identify this major contagion by the mustard - colored lump - shaped structures that it leaves at the infrastructure of the plant .
regrettably , the only solution here is to remove and destroy the plant entirely , to prevent it from spreading .
Until the Next Time
Not every garden has way forC. majalis , but those who do are impertinent to add it to their plot of land .
A fragrant , early botch that ’s ready to go is a special improver that can stand alongside shade and part - Sunday devotee likeastilbeandhosta . Or , for an annual option , consider thestriking toreniato complement those gentle white still hunt of flowers .
And for evenmore on supply beautiful fountain color and fragranceto your garden , you could check out some ofour other flush growing guidessuch as :
© inquire the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . in the first place published May 28th , 2019 . Last updated May 7th , 2025 . Product photo via Swan , Bonide , and Burpee . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Matt Suwak
