Does anyone know about a flower called the Lilly of the Valley?

They smell good, they're poisonous, they do better above the Mason-Dixon line, they spread, the further south they are, the more shade they prefer....what else would you like to know?

I, too, have a black thumb. All I know is what I read.

The lily of the valley: (acc. to Webster's)...

a perennial plant of the lily family that grows in the shade and has a single pair of basal, oblong leaves and a single leafless raceme (stem?) of very fragrant, small, white, bell-shaped flowers. (Also mentioned in Song of Solomon 2:1, allegorically describing Christ).

I think it is very fragile, but I'm not even sure about that.

Aren't they pretty? We were in Paris for May Day 2 years ago and my husband bought me some on the street.... I pressed them. They still smell SO good.

I used to be nurseryman in my previous life....I still have many, many books on the subject. I'd be happy to dig them out of their boxes any time you have a question. My subjects of choice were: perennials, medicinals, and flowering shrubs. (They're still in boxes because I moved and sold my bookcases, but not the books) Duh, me....

Yes, they do. Each flower droops like a bell. When the stalk is fully developed, the weight of each flower tends to make the whole thing droop a bit. (And yes, there are technical names for those parts, but naming them would require me to think - - I'm not up to that at the moment unless pressed....)

I saw them at the garden shop last week. Beautiful flowers.

They do smell wonderful. Lily of the Valley used to be a fairly common cologne or 'toilet water' scent. From the French, 'toilette'; not American commode. 'Toilet water' still cracks me up - though you don't see that word much any more. (Is my 'ancient age' showing now?)

my toilet water smells like crap.

When I was a little girl, (about the civil war time), I used to pick these for my teachers when in grade school. They grew wild in an alley way along with violets. I used to do this in the springtime and the smell was light and sweet.

maestrowork said:

my toilet water smells like crap.

Click to expand...

You're supposed to flush it once in a while, Ray. Totally different type of water than 'Eau de Toillette' water...

They are a bell shaped flower and very small, often hanging on rows, Quite a humble woodland plant but the smell is divine.

Probably something religious.

The lily of the valley has been used in the past for medicinal purposes, despite the fact that all parts of the plant are poisonous. In Renaissance-era texts it was listed as a cure for aphasia (lack of speech) and gout, and also believed to help people develop common sense when smeared on the forehead. It was also used to help improve the memory.

There's some interesting folklore behind this plant as well. I've heard it referred to as Jacob's tears or ladder to heaven, and I think it is supposed to have something to do with the second coming of Christ. They're also called Mary's tears because supposedly, when Mary cried at the crucifixion, her tears turned to little white bell-shaped flowers.

There is also a story that lilies of the valley pop up to signal the death of a dragon, which I think is kind of a cool legend. I think it has something to do with the legend of a saint -- Leonard, maybe? -- but I can't remember specifics.

Many plants have legends associated with them. Ray's correct....Lily of the Valley are also called Mary's Tears, the reference to do with her tears changing to these flowers at the foot of the Cross.

It is a lily and thrives in shady spots like valleys and glens--so I imgaine the name is unromantically literal.

They will spread all over your garden if you let them. Right now is prime blooming time for our area. The scent is not too sweet and not too heavy. Their meaning include:

Sweetness
Tears of the Virgin Mary
Return to Happiness
Humility
You've Made My Life Complete
Let's forgive and be happy again

Avon used to make a nice cologne with the scent.

A nice flower, all around.

Karen