Lily of the Valley

Convallaria majalis {{{latin_name}}}	Lily of the Valley
	Habit: herbaceous rhizome Height: ⇕ 6-12in Width: ⇔ 9-12in Lifespan: ⌛ perennial Origin: ✈ Europe Poisonous: ☠ all parts	Exposure: ☼ part/full shade Water: ◍ medium Features: ✓ flowers, fragrance, naturalizes, invasive Hardiness: ☃ hardy Bloom: ❀ early spring USDA Zones: 3-8 Sunset Zones: 1-7, 14-20, 31-45, indoors
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Graceful groundcover growing 6in or a little more high, with creeping rhizomes. Arching stems bloom for 2 or 3 weeks in the spring, with nodding, nicely scented flowers shaped like little white bells. The attractive broad green leaves are deciduous, and the plants produce red berries in the autumn. They and the rest of the plant are poisonous. Some cultivars have variegated (with cream) foliage, double blooms, or pink blooms. Good ground cover for places with light to medium shade, but where well adapted can become invasive as it naturalizes.

Cultivation

Lily of the valley calendar?
January:
February:
March:
April:	transplant
May:	flowering
June:
July:
August:	sow
September:	division
October:	division
November:
December:
Notes:

Soil should be damp, rich and leafy. Apply thick leaf mold mulch in the fall for great spring flowers and health. Pips (single rhizomes) and plants should be planted in the yard before soil freezes. Place plants 1-2 feet apart, and pips 4-5in apart.

Propagation

Remove flesh from ripe seeds and sow in cold frame. Rhizomes can be divided in the fall. A 6 inch rhizome can be divided into about 6 new plants. Keep young plants moist, preferably with mulch.

Pests and diseases

Botrytis can be a small problem, though not usually something to be concerned with.

Species

There are three subspecies that have sometimes been separated out as distinct species by a few botanists.

• Convallaria majalis var. keiskei - from China and Japan with red fruit and bowl shaped flowers
• Convallaria majalis var. majalis - from Eurasia with white midribs on the flowers.
• Convallaria majalis var. montana - from the USA with green tinted midribs on the flowers.

References

• w:Lily of the Valley. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Lily of the Valley QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)