Lily of the valley — hoodie

Lilies of the valley

Convallaria majalis L.

Who among us has not delighted in late May with charming bouquets of beautifully fragrant white bell-shaped flowers? The lily of the valley is a plant of exceptional charm and unique flower fragrance. From underground rhizomes, shoots of 2-3 dark green, oblong, lanceolate or egg-shaped leaves emerge. The plant forms compact, carpets of them, densely overgrowing the shady ground. Throughout May and early June, phenomenal small, white, ball-shaped, bell-shaped, downward-sloping flowers emerge from the shoots. After flowering, small spherical red fruits form from some of the flowers.

It grows wild in Poland in lowland forests. All parts of the plant are poisonous, with children being particularly susceptible to poisoning. Lilies of the valley are among the few plants that can be brought into bloom at almost any time of the year. This is because the prerequisite for the start of flowering is to raise the temperature to over 20°C after the rhizomes have been dormant. The lilies of the valley are also valued for their ability to establish difficult spots in gardens - even in completely shady places.

It can grow in shady beds, under trees, against ornamental shrubs, in wild corners of the garden. Well suited to naturalistic gardens, it can be planted in the company of ferns, creating forest fragments in the garden.