Lily of the Valley
News posted: 1 May 2023 Post by:
Time to read: ~ minutes, give or take.
Our new King Charles III has definitely put his passion for the environment and nature at the heart of the coronation celebrations. So much time and thought has gone into the symbolism of the event, from the invitations for the ceremony to the decorations on the day itself, and flowers have a large part to play.
Lily of the Valley, the official flower of May, has represented many things across the centuries and has been used at numerous royal occasions. The flower is a symbol of love, purity, sincerity, happiness and luck, so it is the perfect flower to celebrate this new era. It was also a favourite of Elizabeth II and was part of her coronation bouquet in 1953, which is a fitting tribute.
The flower has been recorded since ancient times; the Greek god Apollo is said to have created it so that his nymphs would have a soft carpet to walk on. It also has links with the Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring, Ostara, (whose name is where we get modern Easter from) who symbolised fertility and renewal.
According to French tradition, 1st May is when the Fete du Muguet celebrates the arrival of spring and is when you give those you love a little bouquet of Lily of the Valley (Muguet) to wish them happiness and good luck.
These are ideal flowers for bouquets, with short 6 inch stems, dainty white bell like flowers and an beautiful strong floral fragrance. It is so highly regarded in Finland that it became the national flower in 1982.
The scientific name for Lily of the valley is Convallaria Majalisis , derived from the Latin convallis meaning valley and majalis meaning May. It is a woodland plant, native to Europe and northern parts of Asia and is related to asparagus – but is not edible and is highly poisonous if injested!
Lily of the Valley is a perennial and once it gets established it can be hard to dig up, so choose your site well. It is perfect ground cover for a shady spot, however, it prefers cooler areas, so it will die back in the summer if it gets too hot. I often plant it with Japanese amenone which flowers later (from August) to prolong interest, but the leaves also shade the lily of the valley and conceal any unsightly die back.