A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Lily of the Valley

I bought a lily of the Valley today. Does anyone have any good advice for me before I plant them. I'm thinking of starting the bulbs inside since we're have such cold weather here, to give it a good start.

You can plant them now if you want or start them inside.My lilies of the valley took off very slowly and I have mild winters here.So yours will likely to take awhile to ajust.But you know what they say frist year sleeper 2yr creeper and 3rd year leaper!

So this year I shouldn't expect more then green. Yes I will start them inside, may even keep some in a container for the porch/patio, but the others are going into my flower beds.

Don't get let down if thay don't pop the first year.But once you grow them a season or to they will be wonderful.And if your winter is to cold you can store them like onions in a sack,some ware cool an dry until next spring.Happy growing!

Thanks littlelizard.

My lily of the valley live outside year round. They've come back every year and are very rapidly popping up everywhere in their bed. Starting to give my orange oriental lilies a run for their money.

I planted all 5 bulbs on small containers to get them started. They all had a small shoot growing already.

I am waiting for my lily of the valley to get here that I ordered from Brecks & glad you asked ?'s about it rosepetal, I needed that info too! I have a shady area I want to plant them in & can't wait to be able to smell them, I have heard the scent is delectable!

A word of caution - LOTV can be invasive. They are best planted in an area where they can multiply without invading another plants root system. I had a terrible mess with them travling under the edges of a spruce and coming up in my extensive shade garden. I couldn't dig them out without uprooting other plants or use round-up for the same reason. They almost smothered a clematis. If I were to ever use them again they would be in a sunken container. I sunk a metal barrier to contain the current bed and patrol like a hawk to keep them under control. This would be a good plant for around a utility pole or on a shaded side of a house where nothing else will grow. In the bad with the good plant world though the fragrance is a joy when working near the bed. All parts of the plant are toxic: keep children and pets away from the bed and wash hands well after cutting for floral arranging.

If I planted the LOTV in my regular flower bed, but used a containter set in the soil, would I be ok then? I don't want them to take over the flowerbed.

Rosepetal, I think that's a good idea, if you don't want an entire bed of LOTV. I've heard of lots of people doing that. My LOTV just sprouted up during the snow we had, and it's probably taken over an additional 4x4 area of my garden since spring last year.

Keep the rim of the container above the soil and drill large holes all around the bottom of the pot for drainage.If you don't like the look of a rim above the ground, mulch right up to the top. Another tip: If possible plant the ivy to one side of your bed. See that the container gets enough moisture. Big Lots or Dollar General have larger diameter pots at reasonable prices.

Keep the rim of the container above the soil line. Mulch up to the top of the rim if you don't like the look. Drill lots of holes in the bottom of the container for drainage. Look for a container with a large diameter.

Hey thanks Landofoz and herbalyn,

I'm going to do as you say, we have a Bargain Shop here in our town and they have good prices on their pots. Thanks lots for the heads up on this plant. Sure appreciate the caution.

Wondering how I posted twice? Is there a help board I can post a question on?

You can go to Banter Hall or to Returning Members.
Someone may even see this post and answer here.
I'm wondering myself what you did.

herbalyn if I drill holes in the container, which I know is a must, won't the roots of the lily of the valley grow through them and continue taking over that way?
Just a thought!!!

Rosepetal - Usually not - to roots traveling out of the bottom. I remove most of the bottom of my pots and haven't had that occur. I will every few years lift sunken pots and check the sides for cracking or heavy roots pushing thru the sides. Anything with a long taproot, like comfrey, can escape from bottomless pots. My LOTV has not escaped its bed since I sunk a 1 foot metal barrier at its edge.

Great this will work out just fine for me. I have the perfect spot for my lily of the Valleys now.

I'm glad you said that. Last year I planted several and only a couple peeked their heads up,, This year a few have some up and those have bloomed but I know I have more in the area I will remember that saying ~ 1st year sleeper, 2nd year creeper and 3rd year Leaper!! Thanks Littlelizard!!