Lily of the valley is a harbinger of spring. This is a perennial flower that is perfect in its beauty and has an indescribable lasting aroma. How many legends and stories are associated with this plant! Someone considers this plant the tears of the Mother of God, in ancient Greek mythology they were considered drops of sweat from Artemis, the goddess of hunting. Some people think that it is the fragrance of these flowers that lures nightingales out of their nests in spring. What are lilies of the valley, a description of the plant, its types and how to grow at home?
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plant description
Lily of the valley is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the asparagus family. It belongs to perennials and is considered very stable. In one place, their colony can grow for at least 10 years.
They have soft stems.. After the end of the flowering period, it dies off along with the leaves. Lily of the valley is famous for its beauty. Delicate snow-white or light pink bells exude a rich, pleasant aroma.
Lilies of the valley will be a wonderful home decoration
Although at first glance this grass may seem fragile and graceful, a colony of lilies of the valley quickly takes over the territory. Starting its growth in early spring, this grass is not afraid of sudden changes in weather and small spring frosts. They are incredibly resistant to various weather conditions.
Probably there is no such person who does not know what these flowers look like. On one pedicel there are 6-20 inflorescences, which are located only on one side. The petals are bell-shaped and white or pale pink. But recently, thanks to the work of flower growers, plants have appeared that can have a purple color, yellow or yellow-striped leaves, double flowers.
The flowering period lasts about 20-25 days. After that, instead of them, red berries form on the stem. Although they are poisonous, for rodents and birds it can be a real delicacy.
Even after the end of the flowering period, when only leaves remain, due to their massiveness, the plant can remain an excellent decorative addition to the garden. These leaves are somewhat similar to the ears of a deer, so in ancient times they were often called "lilies".
The second legend associated with the appearance of this name says that the aroma of lilies of the valley is very similar to the smell of incense during burning. This similarity became the basis for the formation of such a name.
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Let's look at history. For many generations, this plant was considered the flower of the goddess Ostar, the German patroness of the rising sun. With the beginning of flowering earlier, young girls had to appease Ostar by bringing her collected lilies of the valley to the temple.
Gradually, the meaning of this flower changed. From a symbol of love and happiness, he turned into a harbinger of grief and sadness. They stopped putting them in the house and bringing them for the holidays. Increasingly, in the era of Christianity, lilies of the valley appeared on canvases with the Virgin Mary.
In the Russian Empire, they appeared only in the 16th century.
History mentions the lily of the valley as the flower of loss. He was often associated with the tears of the Blessed Virgin when she mourned her dead son. It is believed that it was her tears that fell to the ground that gave birth to this beautiful flower.They were also often associated with the blood of St. Leonard.
Closer to the middle of the 16th century, this plant regained its former greatness. One French aristocrat again made him a harbinger of happiness, and lilies of the valley were often used to decorate gardens and parks. Today, in early May, the whole country celebrates the day of the lily of the valley.
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Medicinal properties
By itself, lily of the valley is considered a medicinal plant, and is often used in medicine. For medicinal purposes, this plant has been used for a long time. The entire aerial part is used as raw material: flowers, stem and leaves.
You need to collect raw materials during flowering
In addition, medicines from this herb help with the following diseases:
- edema
- eye diseases
- headache and migraines
- insomnia and nervousness
- fever
- hypertension
- some types of allergies
- atherosclerosis
But even a huge number of useful properties did not save the preparations from this plant from contraindications.
You should stop using these drugs if you:
- allergy
- gastrointestinal diseases
- gastric tachycardia
- pregnancy
- myocardial infarction
- cardiosclerosis, myocarditis, endocarditis
- kidney and liver disease
- angina pectoris
- serious problems with the cardiovascular system
- children (used in rare cases and very carefully)
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Many believe that this plant belongs to monotypic plants, but this is an erroneous opinion. Depending on the geographical location, the plant may differ in a number of its morphological features.
Lily of the valley happens:
May
- It has a pleasant aroma, and white or light pink flowers on a long pedicel. On one stem, their number can reach 20 pieces. The flowers themselves are round in shape, the bell looks down, and the lower part is divided into 6 pointed petals.
- The length of the stem reaches a maximum of 30 cm. Such a plant can be found on forest edges, in coniferous and deciduous forests. The superficial root system is highly branched, consists of many thin and small roots.
- Grows in: Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Belarus, Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, in the countries of the Caucasus and in the main part of the territory of Russia.
Keyske
- Many scientists consider this species to be one of the subspecies of the May lily of the valley. It has a branched long root system. The stem can be no more than 18 cm long, the leaves grow up to 14 cm.
- The diameter of one flower is about 1 cm, and 3-10 inflorescences can be counted on 1 stem. This flower grows in places of old clearings, in coniferous and deciduous forests, and is often found on lawns.
- Of the countries, the plant is found in China, Japan, the Kuril Islands, in Russia in the Far East, Transbaikalia, Primorye.
Mountain
- This type of lily of the valley is also considered one of the subspecies of the May. The leaves are long, up to 35 cm, have a lanceolate shape, the leaf width can reach a maximum of 5 cm.5-15 inflorescences appear on the stem.
- Small flowers with a diameter of about 8 mm. In autumn, these flowers turn into reddish berries about 9 mm in diameter. These berries have 3 chambers that serve to store several round seeds. These berries are considered a favorite delicacy of many birds and rodents.
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The most popular flower varieties
Gardeners discovered lilies of the valley as early as the 15th century, and since then, many interesting varieties of this fragrant garden plant have appeared.
Variety Victor Ivanovich
Among them, the most unusual and popular are:
- Aldostriata - one of the decorative varieties of lily of the valley, which even after flowering can become an unusual decoration of the garden. For this, long stripes of a creamy yellow tint on the leaves served.
- Aureovariegata - a variety that also has yellow stripes on the leaves. It differs from Aldostriata in flower form.
- Fiore Plena - this variety stands out due to unusual inflorescences. The stem can reach 15-25 cm long, it has from 10 to 12 large inflorescences, with petals spread out in different directions, like a star.
- Grandiflora - a plant with a very pleasant and rich aroma. It is distinguished by large leaves and large white inflorescences.
- Green Tarestry - lilies of the valley with decorative leaves of yellow-green color.
- Hofheim - the leaves of this variety seem to have a frame of beige color. The inflorescences themselves are white.
- prolificans - the variety has a long flowering period and a rich persistent aroma. Terry white inflorescences literally fill the stem.
- Rosea - a maximum of 14 pale pink inflorescences appear on the stem. It is this shade that distinguishes this variety from the rest.
- Victor Ivanovich - the largest and highest lilies of the valley. Their height can reach 50 cm, and on one stem there are 9-19 inflorescences of large sizes, painted in rich white. Viktor Ivanovich blooms for about 20 days, after which red berries appear on the stem.
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Those who are going to grow this plant on their site become real saviors. Due to constant deforestation and indiscriminate collection of flowers for medicinal purposes, lilies of the valley are gradually disappearing, and today they are listed in the Red Book.
Variety Aurea
To grow a plant on your site, you should carefully consider the choice of a suitable place. Of course, lilies of the valley are not picky enough, but shaded places are best suited for them. In the shade, away from direct sunlight, the flowering period of the flower can increase up to 5 weeks.
Lilies of the valley are considered aggressive. Because of its rapid reproduction and stability. In just a couple of months, they can turn from a pair of small sprouts into a huge colony, literally eradicating any other plant from the garden.
To prevent the front garden from overgrowing with lilies of the valley, certain conditions must be created for them: the borders of the flower bed are defined by stones, bricks, sheets of slate or metal. They should go into the ground at least 30 cm to prevent the spread of the root system beyond this limit.
Many create decorative flower beds with lilies of the valley in separate containers. If necessary, they can easily be moved to the shade, or removed to another place as soon as they fade.
The soil
For lilies of the valley, it is advisable to prepare the soil in advance. Many do this a year in advance, others prepare the substrate for planting in the spring. This plant does best in slightly acidic, well-drained, medium to light, slightly moist, cool soil.The cultivated soil layer for a flower bed for these flowers is at least 25 cm.
Plants in the open field
Also, the soil must be fertilized with peat compost, humus or manure.. You can supplement this with potassium sulfate or superphosphate. Before planting, the soil must be loosened. In order for the plant to take root and develop well, it must be broken through all summer, eliminating weeds.
Dates and methods of landing
As a rule, the whole plant is transplanted, but lilies of the valley can be grown from seeds.
seed germination
The method of dividing rhizomes is also often used.
When to plant
The best time to plant lilies of the valley is autumn. But if you transplant a plant in the spring, the chance that it will take root is also very high.
If you chose autumn, then you should start planting in late August or September. It is best to do this in the place where you grew up before. peas or legumes. They saturate the soil with organic matter and nitrogen. Therefore, before planting lilies of the valley, it is worth removing all the greens of legumes, and dig up the roots with the ground.
Lily of the Valley Convallaria Majalis
April or May is best for spring planting.. At this time, finding a copy for planting is not difficult. But this time promises various diseases to lilies of the valley. Of course, the plant will easily take root if the soil has been prepared since autumn.
Step-by-step instruction
flowering plant
- We start with the preparation of planting material. Choose roots with rounded and large buds. We divide them into segments of 3-5 cm, on each of them there should be eyes-buds at the top.
- You don't need to make beds. Just in a pre-prepared place we dig up a strip of earth (at least 20 cm).
- We return to the roots. On each of the segments, you need to shorten the thin roots a little.
- In the dug-up area, we make holes 3 cm deep, at a distance of at least 25 cm from each other.
- You can add some fertilizer to the wells, or fill up with humus.
The beginning of grass flowering can be expected already by May. It lasts an average of 2 weeks, but some varieties boast a flowering period of up to 3-5 weeks.
How to care
After planting, the plant will have a rooting phase for about a month.. At this time, the soil needs to be fed with organic matter. It is better to refuse chemistry and mineral fertilizers. It is desirable to use mineral substances only after a year, when the lilies of the valley are fully accustomed. But chemistry for this herb is not needed at all because of the unpretentiousness of the plant.
Lilies of the valley in home decor
The most important rule is to water the plant regularly.. The hotter the weather, the more often you need to moisten the soil. Despite this, lilies of the valley do not like excessive dampness, so it is important not to overwater with watering.
Flowers regularly need to break through from weeds. Many experienced gardeners recommend doing this by hand. It is also important to loosen the soil regularly.
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Although the plant is strong enough, especially during the spring planting, it can be affected by some diseases. The most popular of them is gray rot.. It affects the leaves and flowers of the plant and spreads rapidly. Also, this disease can manifest itself due to excessive irrigation of the plant. Fungicides will help cure lily of the valley.
Also, a nematode becomes a frequent problem of these flowers. As soon as the symptoms of this disease were detected, the sprout should immediately be removed from the general colony and burned. Although it is impossible to cure this disease, its occurrence can be prevented. For this, the soil must be treated with nematicides. Sometimes it is recommended to simply plant a couple of marigolds near the flowerbed with lilies of the valley.
beautiful ornamental plant
Another common disease is Gleosporiasis.. Wounds and a heel with a red border appear on the leaves. If the spots are yellow, it means the grass has been affected by dendronema. Fungicides are used to treat these diseases.
Also, the plant is often attacked by insects.. Most of all, lilies of the valley love sawflies that gnaw on leaves. You can get rid of them only if you treat the plant with special insecticides.
VIDEO: Landing and care; growing in the garden; lily of the valley after flowering
May lily of the valley: description of the plant, species, cultivation on its site and care, medicinal properties (55 Photos & Videos) + Reviews
