This plant is what most of us know as garden lily of the valley. His photo is associated with cleanliness and spring. The name of this flower came from the Latin phrase, which translates as "valley of lilies."
General information
This culture is widespread in the temperate climate zone, in the northern hemisphere, although some of its varieties are also found in the tundra or forest-tundra zones. Lily-of-the-valley as a genus includes some perennial plants with well-developed branched, cord-shaped roots. They are often used for winter forcing.
Today the garden lily of the valley has become quite popular with summer residents. He found his place in secluded and slightly darkened corners of the plots. It is usually planted in large groups. Many use garden lily of the valley as a groundcover under trees or shrubs. It is known that this flower is rarely used in flower beds or mixborders, as it is somewhat aggressive and can crowd out neighbors.
In the landscape
The large garden lily of the valley combines very beautifully with fern, lungwort, catchment area and anemones. At the same time, you should not dig up and bring home forestvarieties of this plant. According to many, it is the garden lily of the valley that looks much more effective. A photo of this flower can often be seen in the form of a very simple, but elite bouquet, including a wedding one. For this, half-blown flower stalks are selected. At the same time, experts recommend not cutting them off, but simply pulling them out. However, it must be remembered that almost all varieties of lily of the valley are distinguished by the release of milky juice, and therefore it is better not to combine them with other flowers in bouquets.
Description
The plant is very widespread not only in our country, but in Europe and North Asia. It is also found in North America.
The genus of lilies of the valley is a low-growing culture. Its representatives have creeping branched rhizomes, from which the upper - green part departs. Pale grassroots leaves are located in the soil, while ground vaginal have a long, wide shape with a pointed apex. They are arranged in four to six pieces.
The upper surface of the leaves is matte, while the lower surface is shiny. The plant has a trihedral stem, growing in height in some species up to fifteen to twenty centimeters. However, in some cases it can reach 40 cm, as, for example, a high garden lily of the valley. On it are white flowers, the corolla of which is six fused petals. The most common species found in the wild is May lily of the valley.
Garden Views
Several garden varieties have been bred from the plant by selection, differing not onlyfeatures of the flowers, but also the shape of the leaves. The stem of the plant is at the same time a peduncle. Despite its height, the wide leaves are attached by sheaths, which are white or pink, and therefore they seem to lean towards the ground.
Garden lily of the valley with its inflorescence resembles a brush, on which small drooping flowers, numbering from five to twenty pieces, are placed on one side. At first glance, they are very similar to miniature bells, looking down at the base. Despite such a small size, garden lily of the valley exudes a very pleasant and delicate aroma that can be carried far enough.
In the Caucasus, another variety is very common - Transcaucasian, or Convallaria transcaucasica. It is hardy and grows well in cultivation. For the normal development of this species, a shaded area is required.
In the southern regions of the Far East, you can find another variety of May lily of the valley, which is called "keyzke". It differs from the main species in dark green large leaves, as well as larger flowers and a late growing season.
Growing
Despite the fact that this plant grows mainly in forests, especially in shady clearings, many amateur gardeners today widely use it as a culturally cultivated species. The first mention of the plant dates back to the middle of the sixteenth century. Even then, in Europe, they began to grow garden lily of the valley. Planting and caring for it does not require special skills, however, with this flowermust be handled very carefully, because the pleasant aroma that emanates from it is very deceptive. The fact is that lily of the valley, including garden, is considered a poisonous plant. It is used only in medicine and less often in cosmetology.
Although garden species have a certain resemblance to their "wild" relatives, nevertheless, they are distinguished by the color of the leaves - green-yellow, as well as the color of the flowers. Their attractiveness lies in the fact that even after they have finished flowering, they still retain their decorative qualities, provided by large green leaves. However, in order for them to always be he althy and delight with their lush flowers, when growing them, one should be guided by the rules that are required for a plant such as a garden lily of the valley.
Planting and care
Photos of this amazingly delicate flower can be seen in almost every gardening magazine. And this is not surprising: its snow-white graceful miniature bells evoke a feeling of tenderness and some kind of childish delight.
In order for a garden lily of the valley, which is not difficult to care for, to feel good on the site, you first need to choose the right place. Landing should be done in semi or full shade. The soil should be slightly loamy, sufficiently moist and slightly acidic, although the plant does well in neutral soil. Preparation of the site for landing should begin somewhere in the middle of autumn - in October.
The ideal time to plant outdoors is autumn (September) or spring (mid-April). Moreover, in the first case, planting should begin after the leaves on the trees turn yellow. The place must be chosen in the shade. The easiest way to plant a lily of the valley is by sprouts, although propagation by seeds is often practiced. Before placing them in the ground, carefully loosening, you need to make grooves in it up to fifteen centimeters deep. In the process of planting, you need to carefully ensure that the roots do not bend, and the sprouts themselves should be sprinkled with earth two to three centimeters.
Features of planting and cultivation
Planting material should be planted in rows, at a distance of ten centimeters between seedlings and thirty between rows. If the lily of the valley was properly placed in the ground, then in this area it will grow for at least ten years.
At the same time, in the first year after planting, only those sprouts with a diameter of more than six millimeters and a slightly rounded top will bloom. The rest will only have leaves.
A young garden lily of the valley, planting and caring for which was carried out in accordance with the norms of agricultural technology, it will be enough to impose rotted manure. When the planted sprouts take root, and this happens around the thirtieth day, you should fertilize with organic fertilizers.
Forcing
For lush flowering, lilies of the valley need forcing. To do this, you need to dig the plant immediately after frost. Rhizomes for distillation are selected fromleaf ovary. The shortest and thickest specimens, with blunt buds, are planted in pots, and the rest return to the garden.
In the autumn at home they are kept in soil with a nutrient composition. The pots are exposed in a cool place, where they are kept until January. The room temperature should not exceed four degrees Celsius. In early February, the pots are transferred to a window sill with diffused lighting. Since that time, the lily of the valley, starting to prepare for flowering, increases its leaf mass. In order for the plant to bloom faster, it must be covered with snow at night before being brought into the room.
Irrigation
The plant needs constant moisture, otherwise it will not bloom well. In dry summers, garden lilies of the valley should be watered twice a week. There are few weeds around them, since they themselves are able to survive other plants, nevertheless they are. They must be manually removed after each watering.
Lilies of the valley do not need to be covered for the winter: these flowers are quite frost-resistant. Once every three years, they need optimal thinning of plantings, because if too dense, flowering may stop.
Fertilizer
In this case, the soil should be dug deep enough - thirty to forty centimeters. If the land in the garden plot is highly acidic, then lime must first be added to it: three hundred grams per square meter. In addition, you need to add manure or compost: ten kilograms per 1 sq. m. It will not be superfluous to introduce a small amount of superphosphate with potassium s alt. fertilizers,introduced into the ground, should be thoroughly mixed with the ground.
And you need to add them twice a year: the first time during a thorough digging of the site - in October, and the second - in the spring. And with the onset of the summer period, when the garden lily of the valley - fragrant kupena, as it is also called, is already fading, the site must be cleared of weeds. In addition, crops such as beans or peas can be planted at this place.
Of the diseases, garden lilies of the valley are most susceptible to gray rot, which can be eliminated with the help of special products sold in gardening stores. The pests of this flower are the sawfly and the onion rattle. In case of infection, a diseased plant should be immediately destroyed so that it does not infect neighboring bushes.
In conclusion
Many of those who plant a garden lily of the valley in their garden, the care of which does not require much effort or time, once planted, never give up the opportunity to admire this beautiful flower. The plant multiplies rapidly, so summer residents are happy to plant it in the plots. And the red berries of the lily of the valley, although very attractive, are nonetheless poisonous. Therefore, care must be taken to protect children from them. In addition, the lily of the valley flowers themselves have a rather strong smell, as a result of which bouquets of them in the room can cause a headache. However, in shady flowerbeds, kupena surpasses all other plants in beauty.
