Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis
also called convallaria
Scented white bells in the shade beneath trees — lovely, invasive, and poisonous in every part.
Light Partial to full shade; it does its best work under trees.
Water Keep the ground moist; it has no tolerance for drought.
Height 20 cm
Spread 11.8 in
Spacing 30 cm
Spacing & sowing
- Plant spacing
- 11.8 in
- In-row spacing
- 11.8 in
- Between rows
- 15 in
- Square-foot density
- Not suited to SFG
Growing
- Type
- Flower · Perennial
- Botanical family
- Mixed / other
- Sunlight
- Partial to full shade; it does its best work under trees.
- Watering
- Keep the ground moist; it has no tolerance for drought.
- Feeding
- A light autumn mulch of leaf mold is all the feeding it wants.
- Frost tolerant
- Yes
- Flowering
- April
- Pruning
- No pruning to speak of; clear the spent foliage in late summer.
- Overwintering
- Hardy through winter without any protection.
Through the year
- Mar–Apr Spring Growth
- Apr–Jul Flowering
- Jul–Oct Growing
- Oct–Dec Leaf Fall
- Jan–Mar Leaf Fall
Pests & problems
- Gray mold (botrytis) Gray mold (Botrytis) when conditions stay very damp
- Invasive spread — left alone it will colonize whole beds
- Toxic in every part, so keep it away from children and pets
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's herbarium at cottagegardencompanion.com