It is a cliché that you will smell the lily of the valley before you could incur it because this one is a highly odoriferous perennial . away from its beautiful , delicate , white flowers that make beautiful fore cuts , it is also a popular perennial because it is comfortable to care for .
Albeit its known perniciousness , you’re able to still find lilies of the valley in flowered arrangements and notable container plants .
If you intend on arise lily of the valley anytime soon , here ’s everything you need to have a go at it about the plant .
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Lily of the valley facts
If you think you already bed everything about the lily of the vale , well , you have to think again . Here are some interesting facts that you might not know about the lily of the valley .
Lily of the Valley flower meaning & symbolism
Having been archived to have existed for more than a thousand twelvemonth , the lily of the valley is highly symbolic in many refinement and religions .
In Christian notion , the lily of the vale is a well - referenced flower in the Scripture . It is also named as Mary ’s tears because it is believed that the industrial plant sprung out of the Virgin Mary ’s tear during Christ ’s crucifixion .
It is also referenced as the plant that egress from Eve ’s trail of bout when she was bar out of Eden .
Other than these , lily of the vale are also traditional wedding bouquet flowers in Europe . It is also the official nascency month prime of May , hence , the other alias May blossom . In general , it is associated with meanings of naturalness , devotion and faithfulness .
Types of Lily of the Valley
1. Convallaria majalis ‘Albostriata’
This variety is an attention - getter because of its upward - lancing , dark dark-green leaves with creamy jaundiced / clean grade insignia . Its major top is that it does not distribute too widely like the other miscellanea , hence , making a good garden bed flush or container plant .
2. Convallaria majalis ‘Rosea’
It is called as such because it produces pink , mount - like flowers or else of the distinctive white lily flowers . However , unlike the mantle of efflorescence that lily produce , this variety only produces a handful in each stalk during bloom fourth dimension .
More than that , it is also not as fragrant as the traditional lily of the valley .
3. Convallaria majalis ‘Fortin’s Giant’
This lily of the vale edition is a jimmy footing cover because of its enceinte , obscure green foliage . Unlike the other lily of the valley cultivars , this one is exceptional to shady areas .
Aside from being beneficial in erosion control , its beautiful , clean and fragrant heyday are cut for wedding bouquets .
4. Convallaria majalis ‘Prolificans’ (Double lily of the valley)
This very rare lily of the valley variety is notable for its double flowers . Although its flowers are not as clustered as the traditional lily , they make better stem cuts because they last longer .
They can survive attractively in the vase for more than a calendar week compared to the three - day vase life of traditional lily of the vale .
5. Convallaria majalis ‘Flore Pleno’
Like the Fortin ’s , this one is also particular to shade . It is known for its fragrant , double - flowers that bloom during saltation . It is attractive to pollinators like bees and butterfly stroke .
It also has mint , longsighted , lancing and pendent - regulate leaf in hues of dark green .
6. Convallaria majalis ‘Hardwick Hall’
It has the same lancing folio and creamy xanthous / clean stripes as the Albostriata but this one has a paler dark-green colour . It has larger blooms compared to the typical lily of the valley .
It is quite pliant as it could be used as a border plant , garden bed works , stem snub and be cultivated as shrub .
Lily of the valley colors
The lily of the vale does not have much range when it get along to people of colour excerpt . For its bell - determine flush , the most common color is bloodless .
Some diversity have creamy white color which depend like it has yellow tinges .
Other colours include pallid pink to deeper pinkish hues . As for the Berry , it can either be chicken / white , blood-red or blue colour .
Planting Lily of the valley
When to plant
The honorable time to engraft the lily of the vale must be during later declension . Its rhizomatic root , also known as spot , are divided after blossom .
This mean that in between November to December must be the urge planting time .
Cooler temperature will allow the flora to enter dormancy , pave for brighter flowers during blush time in spring .
Where to plant
The lily of the valley can bloom well in louche country where it could receive minimal igniter . It will prosper well if it is replanted in between trees or shrub .
It is not really an indoor plant because it is toxic to brute and world but you’re able to cut the heyday for your vase .
How to plant
The first measure in planting lily of the valley is to issue a handful of root stocks . Soak the roots for at least an hr and sit dry . After which , split the crowns but make indisputable that each top has its own set of root stock and shoots .
Plant separately in 8 - inch pots and cover it with damp soil . incubate it enough until only the shoot is spiking from the surface .
works good until antecedent spread in the pot for re - plant in a shadowy , outdoor location .
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Lily of the valley care
Soil
Since this plant is aboriginal to woodlands , it requires moist , well - drain soils . It also loves moderately acid soils at a pH range of a function of 6 - 6.5 .
This specific acidity could be come up in woodland soils . It will grow well in sandy and loamy soil . Overwatering the grime will make it sloppy . This one will lead to root rot .
Fertilizer
Unlike other moist - loving plants , the lily of the vale does not picture too much plant food . Adding constituent compost or 2 - inch of mulch annually is already enough for this plant .
Sun & Light
It thrives well in shade than in Light Within . It can digest balmy sunshine bursts in the other morning but it must be transferred somewhere else for shade from 10 am onwards . If it is exposed to more sun , you should amend it with more piddle .
Planting it in very sunny climates will not make it bloom . Instead , it will make the leave crisp and yellow until they break .
Water requirements
Like most moist - loving plants , you may water them everyday but at a regulated level . verify that at least two inches of the top dirt is dry before water again .
To preserve the wet , you may do cloud every morning at the leaves and base of the industrial plant . Thorough lacrimation is needed during the growing time of year ( spring to other summer ) .
Humidity and temperature
Lily of the vale is cold - hardy in zones 2 - 9 . It loves coolheaded climate and low - humidity room .
It can tolerate scummy temperature of up to -11 level Celsius . But during the summer and drouth - alike humidity , it must be channel somewhere shady and must be irrigate regularly to keep its desired wet .
Repotting
This process will happen if there is root overgrowth . cautiously excavate through the antecedent pedigree and repeat the procedure of how to found the lily of the valley .
Pruning
As for pruning , just take poster of yellow or brown leaves and shear them off . Instead of steady pruning , this plant needs even dividing the stolon or root stock .
you may prune off the undesirable runner during the first hoar or during early spring .
Propagation
accuracy be state , lily of the valley are self - propagating thanks to their rhizomatic roots that spread well in colony . It also ego - cattle ranch through its berry - like seeded player . But if you are curious to do some extension , you could use two ways .
One , plant the spot in moist , well - draining dirt in the summer . Two , plant as many pips to ease self - pollenation and bring forth berries .
How to care for lily of the valley in winter
Although they love the wintertime cold , they will go dormant come mid - winter . To check that that they are handle with charge , you have to cut the hold out stem after all the blooms have fade .
rationalise off the yellow or droop leaves and wait for it to come alive after winter .
How to care for Lily of the valley indoors
Due to its perniciousness , you’re able to only keep potted lily of the valley indoors during mid - fall to winter or during summer when the temperature is too high and it is too humid .
But if you have the room for yourself , it is fine to have one in the home plate as you could insure its H2O intake depending on the time of year .
You still have to watch out for yellowing leaves that might be a signaling of overwatering .
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Lily of the valley diseases & pests
It is a well - known fact that the lily of the vale is toxic to homo and larger critters like rabbit , deer , dogs , cats and horse .
And while other insects are hesitant to munch on it too , there are some pest that feast on it occasionally , specially during natural spring when its foliation is very green . Some of these pesterer would be spider touch who would chew on the leaves during spring .
In gist , the leave will become zany and it will wrick yellow . The most plebeian pests for lily of the vale would be snails and slug . Aside from ripping the soil off of nutrients , they also get leafage place .
As for common diseases , lily of the valley is prostrate to leaf spots cause by its leaves being soaked in too much water and if left unattended shall turn to fungal putrefaction or rusting . It might also be prostrate to Southern blight indicated by the organization of yellowish or brown lump - corresponding human body in the stem , plant ’s base or around the soil .
For these diseases , the common intervention is applying a potent fungicide , removing lily-livered / dead leave early on and stopping overwatering .
Toxicity of Lily of the Valley
Albeit the fact that it is really a beautiful and emblematic flower , all parts of the lily of the vale are toxic to humans and brute .
If you plant them in your yard , you have to verify that its carmine berries and blank , finespun flowers will not catch the care of small Thomas Kyd and your pets .
This plant is well toxic because of a compound called cardiac glycoside used in regulation to handle cardiovascular disease , specifically congestive heart weather condition .
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It is said that more than 40 type of this compound are found in just one plant and when ingested without regulation could be fateful and deadly .
Adding to its toxicity is a uncommon amino group acid that will cause seizures and cardiac arrest when ingested . thoroughgoing hand washing is urge if you ever come close to the plant life .
How to get rid of lily of the valley
Because of its rhizomatic origin , it would be a challenge to get rid of the lily of the valley by helping hand . To stamp out the works entirely , you have to utilize a reliable weed killer carry glyphosate .
Spraying the solution should happen when the sun is at its peak or at temperature of more than 45 level . It will not be killed immediately . You have to continually go for the weedkiller for at least two weeks .
Conclusion
Sure , you could find more interesting plant than the lily of the valley but there is nothing that will surmount its unique repute .
From a popular blossom cutting and a widely have sex religious symbolic representation to an alien looking for , easy to like for yet toxic plant , nothing else come near with lily of the valley when it comes to flower visibility uniqueness .
If you think to take care of one , do n’t ever drop any of its care requirements and be aware of what we have covered about it in this berth .
