• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy
Home » Sweet Scents Of Spring Arrive With The Lily Of The Valley

Sweet Scents Of Spring Arrive With The Lily Of The Valley

by Ilona Erwin Filed Under: bulbs, May, Plants

A Nosegay of Lily of the Valley

One of the joys of this time of year is the scent of the beds of Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis. The fragrance is embedded in my memory from early years. These small, milky white bells arrayed long the delicate stem give out a slightly musky perfume that pervades the air of the garden.

When describing flower scent, it is often remarked how certain blooms are free on the air,  their good smells given freely and generously to garden visitors. These May blooming bells are one of those, not withholding until conditions are just right, like some other flowers renowned for fragrance.

This is the flower my mother chose for her wedding bouquet, it is an old fashioned flower whose romantic stories go back to the sixteenth century, and I wouldn’t be surprised if told there are tales from much earlier.

It was from my mother’s garden that I transplanted my first starts of Convallaria pips.

Many gardeners dislike plants like Lily of the valley, which can be vigorous to the point of invasiveness. But if you plant a bed of it, it can be controlled by mowing along its border. For those who love it, like the much maligned (by landscaping experts) lilacs, there is no replacement for the sheer pleasure of breathing deep on a fine spring day and inhaling such memorable aromas.

I picked a small bouquet for the house, and find that it is a good cut flower for indoors. Some fragrant flowers are too heady and I feel overwhelmed by their perfume. Lily of the valley has that soft innocent waft of something lovely that reminds you of its presence, but without demanding you notice. Maybe this explains the reason it was one of the preferred personal fragrances of Victorian ladies, along with that other elusively attractive flower, the sweet violet Viola odorata.

It makes a lovely ground cover with its fresh green leaves, and in fall I love the golden hues it gives to an autumn scene.

I planted nice fat tulip bulbs last fall, and made a how to video of the process. Here is a cameo of those bulbs which I recorded in one of my garden tutorials. Though some tulips have scent, most don’t. These are Darwin hybrids, most of the ones reputed for fragrance are the single early tulips. The Darwin hybrid, ‘Daydream’ is said to be one of the few. I grow it, but not in a part of the yard where I took any notice of fragrance.

Other contributing aromas are the Korean Spice Viburnum, V. Carlesii, which this year opened with an overlapping garden time with the Lily of the valleys. Lilacs are still giving their unique sweetness, although the earlier ones have finished. Sweet Woodruff has opened its blooms, and the new mown hay smell will remain with its leaves all summer.

The months coming hold their own sweetness, but none so nostalgically and fondly remembered as May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit Ilona’s Garden Journal on facebook: Click here
© 2014 written for >Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

← Previous Post
Ready To Eat Local? How About Slow Gardening?
Next Post →
Lavender, Lavender, Where Art Thou?

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Garden Enthusiasm

Garden Enthusiasm Delivered

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit For A Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • Wanelo
  • Secondary Navigation Social Media Icons

    Join Me

    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
Shop Small Trees and More

Bonsai Trees
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day on Saturday

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
#bluehydrangeas with Japanese maple on a cloudy da #bluehydrangeas with Japanese maple on a cloudy day. #hydrangeas
#hydrangeaseason #hydrangeaseason
#bluelacecaphydrangea #hydrangeasmakemehappy #hydr #bluelacecaphydrangea #hydrangeasmakemehappy #hydrangeas
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut