lily of the valley

Sewing Diaries

May 18, 2005:

Blooming, again! It hasn't spread but it's done really well. The others are doing okay but not blooming, maybe they will soon. Also, our birdhouse.

May 28, 2004

After leaving the plants outside for a week to accustom them to the weather, I planted both lily of the valleys outdoors.

They look very small here, but since lily of the valley spreads, they should multiply and fill up the space nicely.

April 30, 2004

Daffodils in the backyard.

March 4, 2004

The flowers are starting to curl and shrivel. It lost it's scent a few days ago. The leaves have turned darker and are starting to curl. Just as well, I'll be away next week.

However, the baby lily is doing great! More pips are surfacing and growing green and healthy. I think the premature bloom is going to fall off, though, to make room for another one.

February 25, 2004

Almost entirely bloomed!

The second lily of the valley is doing much better. More pips are popping up to the surface, and growing upwards. They are also much greener and taller then before.

February 24, 2004

Tiny little white balls have replaced the greens ones- we will have a full blooming lily of the valley soon! The pictures are dark to show detail.

And now- a new lily of the valley! This was bought in a plant set with a bleeding heart, also in this planter. There are seven pips here, that have all grown together and mashed sideways. Look how small and sickly this one is compared to the lily of the valley in the basket. The flash has washed them out slightly, but they really are very pale and mostly white, not green. It sprouted and was growing from the plastic bag- it doesn't even have any nice green leaves. Poor thing! Hopefully it will thrive after plenty of water and a nice new home.

Lily of the valley do best with lots and lots of water. I give the basket plant about 1 1/2 cups of water daily. Never let the soil become dry to the touch. Since lily of the valley do best in partial sun, a great place to plant them outdoors is the side of the house. They will 'spread' around the side and bloom every year.

February 21, 2004

It's clear now that all the other buds are close to blooming. Some are slightly opened already! Now that the buds have formed, the growth of the plant has dramatically slowed. I think this may be it's full height. It's amazing to compare with the older pictures and see how big it's gotten.

February 20, 2004

The first flower has bloomed! Even though there is only one, it smells great. It looks like the rest of the buds on that pip are gearing up to bloom soon, too.

February 19, 2004

Look! The bud is forming into a flower.

February 16, 2004:

More progress! I have 10 other pips besides these that I will be planting shortly.

February 13, 2004:

I am surprised at just how quickly this is growing! Yes, it has only been three days and the pips have just about doubled in size. They are also loosing their finger nail appearance, something I am very thankful for, and are changing from pink to green. Another little pip has also sprouted.

February 10, 2004:

After many weeks of waiting, the plant arrived! I plucked off the protective moss and got what you see here. At this stage, lily of the valley pips (as each stalk is called) bear a creepy resemblance to a human finger. Click on picture number one to see what I mean.

I received this lily of the valley plant as a gift. I thought it would be interesting to chart the plants' growth and figure out how to do this on my own.

A Note:

Lily of the valley is poisonous. Keep them away from little children and pets!

Excerpt on lily of the valley from the 1931 book, 'A Modern Herbal.'

One Two places to buy lily of the valley bulbs

Forcing lily of the valley bulbs