Lily of the valley is one of the most popular flowering plants for spring and summer. It is a perennial plant which grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. It also has a tall, arching structure that resembles an elegant weeping willow tree.
This lily flower is often planted as a decoration for gardens and lawns, but itג€™s more than that too; itג€™s symbolic of love and romance as well as mourning and sadness. Here, we discuss how to grow lily of the valley flower and its benefits, care tips, propagation information, planting arrangements and where to buy seeds or plants.
How do you get lily of the valley to grow?
Lily of the valley is a perennial plant that will grow back year after year. To grow lily of the valley, you need to provide it with a sunny location; moist but well-drained soil; and plenty of natural fertilizer. You can do this by using a raised bed or growing lilies in a pot.
When planting your lilies, use any type of container that has drainage holes in the bottom: ceramic urns, clay pots, or wooden boxes. The container should be filled with one third compost, one third peat moss and one third garden soil. Apply the soil mixture evenly throughout the container before you put in your plants and then water thoroughly so that itג€™s damp but not soaked.
For best results, plant your lilies during spring or summer time when their roots are still dormant for optimal growth.
How long does it take for lily of the valley to grow?
The plant can take up to five years to grow from seed, but it usually takes about a year for a lily of the valley plant to start flowering. The flowers will continue blooming until frost, so you can expect to see them throughout most of the summertime.
If you want your flowers to come back every year, you can cut one half off of the plant in late winter so that it will regrow into next yearג€™s flowers. You can also divide the plants by digging up their roots when they are in bloom and replanting them in another location since they are perennials and do not need a lot of care.
Can you grow lily of the valley from cuttings?
You can propagate lily of the valley plants by taking cuttings. You will need to take cuttings in late summer or early fall and plant them in a moist, well-drained soil that is acidic.
Lily of the valley also grows from seeds. If you are growing lilies from seed and want to grow them as perennials, youג€™ll need to start off with at least two plants for each flower cluster.
To use cuttings for propagation, first cleanly remove the stem from the cutting and place it horizontally on a clean, dry surface so that it has about an inch of the top exposed above the surface. You will want to leave plenty of stem on this cutting so that when you plant it later it doesn’t immediately die from being too root-bound. For cuttings taken in late summer or early fall, this planting time is best because by then they have had a chance to recover somewhat before winter comes and they die back completely.
Next, dip your freshly cleaned cutting in alcohol or water and give it a gentle scrub down so that there is no dirt attached to the base of the cutting.
Next, wrap this base using either small pieces of paper or plastic wrap until there is just enough room left to plant it into your potting soil mixture (or whatever mixture you’re going to use).
Now that all prep work is done on your cutting, move on to planting your newly prepared cutting into its container
Do lily of the valley multiply?
Lily of the valley does not multiply so you have to plant new plants every year. If you can provide a good amount of shade for them, you will be able to get flowers in the first season.
Lily of the valley is a perennial plant and it grows best in full sun or partial shade. If you want to grow lilies in your garden, make sure they are planted in a part of your yard that receives at least six hours of sunlight each day. The soil should be moist but well drained. The pH level should be between 5 and 7 and the soil should be rich in humus, sand, silt and clay content because they are perennials. They don’t require much water so they don’t need an abundance of water either.
