Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis
“Grow them in the shadiest spot you have. Every May they'll appear and you'll stand there breathing in something that Dior has spent decades trying to copy.”
— ROSIE
Rosie's Take
Lily of the valley is the flower that proves small things can be the most powerful. Each stem is barely six inches tall — a slender green arc with a row of tiny white bells dangling from one side, like somebody hung miniature lampshades on a wire. And then the scent hits you, and you understand why this modest little thing has been obsessing people for centuries.
The fragrance is extraordinary. Sweet, green, cool, with a depth that expensive perfumers have been trying to bottle since the Edwardian era. Dior's first fragrance was inspired by it. I've walked into a room where someone had placed a few stems in an egg cup — an egg cup — and the whole space smelled like a woodland glade after rain.
Mine grow in a shady patch along the north side of the house where almost nothing else would bother. They spread quietly underground and every May they appear like clockwork — these perfect little rows of bells pushing through the broad, pointed leaves. It's the kind of dependable magic that makes gardening worth all the mud and disappointment.
They're not an easy cut flower to buy — the season is short and the stems are tiny. But if you can find them, or if you grow your own, a few stems in a small glass or an egg cup beside the bed is one of the most exquisite things the garden year offers.
A word of caution — every part of the plant is poisonous. Keep them away from curious pets and small children. The Victorians knew this and loved them anyway. There's something rather poetic about a flower so sweet and so dangerous at once.
Where to Buy
If you want to try lily of the valley for yourself, here's where I'd point you:
✿ From the folklore cabinet
In the language of flowers, lily of the valley means 'return of happiness' — it was traditionally given on May Day in France, where they still exchange sprigs of muguet on the first of May. Legend says the flowers sprang from Eve's tears when she was cast from Eden.
