Fragile, dressed in soft white and sometimes pale pink petals, lilies of the valley intoxicate everyone with their drunken aroma. Rare of their kind, they are listed in the Red Book.
Beautiful lilies of the valley become a kind of muse for florists, inspire artists to create still lifes, and photographers for a new type of photography - professional photography of flowers. Perfumes, pets, household appliances, cafes and restaurants are named after them.
Photos of lilies of the valley, roses and daffodils in flower shop windows are especially popular. Widely used in perfumery.
Short story
They are also popularly known as: konvaliya, May and field lilies, mayweed, cherry. The plants owe their name to the works of the outstanding botanist Carl Linnaeus. The literal translation of the flower is “lily growing in the valley.”
There are several possible origins. According to one of them, the name is borrowed from the Polish word “lanuszka” due to the similarity of the leaves with the ends of the ears of a wild deer. In other words, these are combinations of two words “incense” and “breathe” because of the pungent and fragrant aroma.
Lily of the valley is a forest perennial plant that grows in the Northern Hemisphere. Most often found in cool or damp places.
Walking through the forest, you can sometimes come across entire clearings of lily of the valley leaves, but the bells themselves are not visible. The whole reason is that the maximum life span of the rhizome is up to 21 years.
Bottom line
The fragile and delicate lily of the valley flower with miniature snow-white bells enchants at first sight. This symbol of tenderness and boundless love, even in the photo, seems like a forest wizard, giving a feeling of joy. Its aroma may seem very strong to some, but its truly enchanting beauty is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.
Author: skywriter13
Bloom
The first flowering occurs at 7-8 years, at 10-12 years they lose this opportunity. New dark green leaves are formed every spring, the ability to bloom appears after 2-3 years.
If you count, it turns out that during its entire short life, flowering occurs only 2-3 times. Flowering duration is within one to two weeks.
The powerful smell and pollen attract bees and bumblebees. The fruit of the flower is a round orange or red berry. The plant itself is poisonous, but is widely used in modern medicine. It has been used for a long time.
Cultivation and propagation of lily of the valley should be done very carefully, observing the usual safety measures.
Main garden varieties
Albostriata has atypical leaves with creamy white stripes, while Lineata has yellow stripes. After flowering, these varieties continue to delight the eye with their decorative leaves. That is why they are most often used in landscape design.
Flore Plena is a variety with 12 double flowers on an inflorescence, the stem height of which reaches up to 25 cm.
Latifolia - the main difference is the flowers are of an atypical pink color and the leaves are wider than other species.
Pink petals are characteristic of Rosea flowers, of which up to 14 bloom on an inflorescence.
Yellow leaves come from Aurea, a variety that is distinguished by its most golden color.
Hardwick Hall is a modern variety with yellow-green edges on the leaves.
Viktor Ivanovich is an extravagant and tallest variety of lily of the valley, the stems of which can reach 50 cm. Up to two dozen large snow-white flowers bloom on the inflorescence. After they bloom, red fruits appear, giving the flower additional attractiveness.
Application in medicine
- improvement of heart function
- strengthening blood vessels
- insomnia and neuroses
- included in allergy medications
- for high fever and headaches
- for the treatment of cholecystitis and relief of inflammatory processes
- psychiatric disorders
Take medications based on medicinal flowers only after consulting a doctor and strictly observing the dosage of use.
Downsides of blooming lilies of the valley
A bouquet of lilies of the valley should not be kept in a small, cramped and closed room. Especially in the bedroom or room of a small child. Fans of this plant often need to ventilate the room. Due to the strong aroma, you can simply get poisoned.
Caring for lilies of the valley
Lily of the valley adapts well to any weather conditions. But it does not tolerate drafts and direct sunlight.
The downside is low frost resistance and late flowering. In the first case, after 6 years, in the second, after 3 years.
The best time for planting is mid-autumn. The soil is prepared in advance; fertilizers can be used. Each housewife plants in her own way, but in general terms, each flower should be planted at a distance of 10-15 cm, 15 cm deep into the ground and sprinkled with 1-2 cm of light soil.
Water thoroughly with water at room temperature. In winter, cover with any materials to maintain warmth. Planting can also be done in the spring, but such a flower will be painful and will not bloom this season.
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They do not need care. You just need to maintain moisture, remove weeds and loosen the soil around from time to time.
Lilies of the valley are very aggressive plants; in the overall bouquet they crowd out and lead to rapid withering and death of other flowers.
Examples of flower arrangements
Botanical information: Lily of the valley (Convallaria) is a flowering perennial, common in almost all regions with a temperate climate. Prefers deciduous and mixed forests, where it grows widely, forming picturesque clumps. Breeders have developed several new species of convallaria, including terry and pink. However, the most popular is still the classic flower, which has become a symbol of romantic relationships and young, innocent love.
It is best to make a large mono-bouquet from miniature lilies of the valley. This is due not only to aesthetic, but also practical considerations. Fragile bells are very aggressive towards other plants, so mixed compositions with them do not last long. This is all due to the poisonous juice secreted by lilies of the valley and too strong a rich smell, which is poorly tolerated not only by flowers, but also by humans. Lilacs, tulips and violets are especially sensitive to the proximity of convallaria, but forget-me-nots, on the contrary, “like” it and prolong the life of the cut plant.
The packaging should be discreet, preferably made from natural materials. For a small composition, the thinnest silk paper or floral tracing paper in pastel shades is suitable. It’s better to pack a huge bouquet of lilies of the valley in a box or basket, as in these photos:
This solution has two advantages:
- you can use piaflor, which prolongs the life of vulnerable plants;
- Due to the additional volume created by a box or basket, you can save on flowers without compromising the appearance of the gift.
Spring basket for your beloved
What could be more beautiful than a bouquet of lilies of the valley in a simple wicker basket? In the spring, it doesn’t cost anything to please your soulmate with such an exquisite and fashionable gift.
You will need:
- lilies of the valley of Dutch varieties;
- salal leaves;
- wicker basket made of wicker, preferably bleached;
- floral sponge (piaflor);
- pruning shears, stationery knife, tape, thick mica film.
Dutch varieties are ideal for bouquet arrangements; they are large, showy and durable when cut. You can also use garden flowers grown on your own plot. But, under no circumstances should you collect forest “May bells” - they are listed in the Red Book and are protected by law.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Piaflor, suitable in size to our basket, is immersed in water and left for 15 - 20 minutes until completely hydrated.
- If you need to slightly adjust the base for the flowers, trim it with a stationery knife. When wet, piaflor is easier to process and does not crumble.
- First we line the basket with “mica” - this is a thick plastic film that will prevent water from leaking out and damaging the vine.
- We fix the cellophane along the edges with anchor tape (unlike tape tape, it is not afraid of moisture) or with metal staples using a stapler.
- Place the water-soaked piaflor in the basket.
- We fasten it crosswise with anchor tape so that it does not move during use.
- We close the gap between the walls of the basket and the floral sponge with salal leaves or other decorative greenery, for example, aspidistra. We install it into the side surfaces of the sponge.
- Lily of the valley has a small, thin and vulnerable stem. Therefore, it is better to place flowers in piaflor not one by one, but in a group - by connecting several pieces and wrapping them with tape for strength. The leaves are separated from the stems and mounted separately, imitating the natural growth of a flower.
Photo of a gorgeous spring bouquet of lilies of the valley. Thanks to the basket, the flowers are protected from mechanical influences, and the piaflor will relieve the owner of the floral arrangement from the need to change the water daily and trim the stems. To prolong the life of delicate plants, it is better to soak a sponge with a supporting nutrient solution, and spray the buds and leaves directly with a spray that preserves natural freshness and reduces moisture evaporation.
Exquisite compliment
Spring is a time of romance and emotional uplift, which should be supported with a small bouquet known as a “compliment”. Such a gift does not oblige either the giver or the recipient to anything, and this is its main advantage. “Compliment” is suitable for a work colleague, a girl who has attracted sympathy, a sister, mother or grandmother. It is often given to young children who find it difficult to hold onto grandiose flower arrangements. A mini-bouquet is inappropriate only at special events or when you need to congratulate a truly close and dear person on an important date.
You will need:
- lilies of the valley – approximately 200 pcs.;
- aspidistra leaves – 20 pcs.;
- patterned paper in silence;
- decorative burlap;
- raffia.
Step-by-step instruction:
- We carefully separate the peduncle arrows from the leaves. This usually happens easily, without additional tools. We collect convallaria brushes in bunches of 7-10 pieces. Then we surround it with leaves, choosing only those with a long false stem. We look through the aspidistra and cut off too large specimens with scissors.
- We stack the bundles together, trying to adhere to the spiral technique. We correct the flowers if they are not at the same level as the others. The arrangement is so original that it does not need additional decorative techniques, such as asymmetry or fashionable “dishevelment”. We try to make the “cap” round, as required by classic floristry. The assemblage point is low.
- We make a cuff for the finished bouquet from aspidistra leaves. We place them above the level of the flower “cap”, as if protecting the delicate bells with an improvised “wall”. We fasten the finished composition with tape, and then straighten the stems.
- We place the flowers in water and start packing. We cut 3 identical squares from the silence, with a side 2 times larger than the height of the bouquet.
- We collect the sheets in a stack, placing the wrong side up. We bend it in half, and then again in the transverse direction, but only outlining the fold. In this place we make a cross-shaped incision, approximately 2x2 cm.
- We put the arrangement with the “leg” into the resulting hole, turn the flowers down so that the ends of the paper square fall down. We “string” the remaining 2 sheets according to the same principle, but with a diagonal shift relative to the “predecessor”.
- We crumple the paper around the bouquet “leg”. We secure it with tape. Turn the composition upside down.
- We also cut out 3 squares from burlap, but half the size.
- We wrap the composition in textile packaging. We lower the burlap below the sheets in silence to show both materials that “work” on the contrast of textures. The squares should overlap.
- Checking the symmetry of the composition. If necessary, carefully correct it.
- We tie it with jute rope.
- Let's make a bow.
The finished bouquet is in the photo. Lilies of the valley are self-sufficient flowers; their beauty does not require any additions:
Elegant white mix
The exquisite primrose does not always act “solo”. It can complement a composition of other plants, maintaining its individuality and not getting lost against the background of its brighter and larger neighbors. Kate Middleton's wedding bouquet was a similar mix, which also included hyacinths, myrtle and Sweet William carnations. The use of lilies of the valley in wedding ceremonies is a long-standing tradition of British monarchs, but it was the Duchess of Cambridge who made it a worldwide treasure.
Middleton's wedding accessory was a cascade in miniature. But this is not the only option. The popular European “ruffled” bouquet can also be composed with “royal” primroses.
