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Convallaria

Convallaria (lily of the valley): fragrant spring flower for shade, pots and cut flowers

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a hardy perennial with small, strongly scented bells in white or pale pink. Outdoors it flowers in May, in a shady spot with humus-rich soil. The plant is supplied as pips (rhizomes with a bud), spreads slowly and can also be forced in the greenhouse. Holland Bulb Market supplies Convallaria majalis, Majalis Rosea and Majalis White.

Uses

Shade gardens: ground cover under trees and shrubs, together with hosta and hellebores.
Pots and bowls: forced in pots as a fragrant indoor pot plant.
Cut flowers: small, fragrant flowers for bridal bouquets and fine floristry.
Retail: pips in consumer packs for garden centres and DIY stores.

Professional cultivation: forcing lily of the valley

Pips that have been stored frozen can be forced in the greenhouse out of season. Plant them upright, with the bud just above the soil, in pots or crates and keep them warm and moist; the flowers appear after a few weeks. This makes lily of the valley available as a cut flower and pot plant outside May as well.

For the garden, the pips are planted in autumn or early spring. Read more about professional growing.

Our Convallaria range

Convallaria majalis (white), Convallaria majalis Rosea (pale pink) and Convallaria majalis White, as pips for gardens, pots and forcing.

Flowering time by cultivation method

Cultivation	Flowering	Height (approx.)	Examples
Outdoors in the garden	May	15–25 cm	Majalis, Majalis Rosea
Forced in the greenhouse (frozen pips)	out of season, a few weeks after planting	15–25 cm	Majalis, Majalis White

Key facts

Planting season	autumn or early spring
Planting	bud just below or at soil level, approx. 10–15 cm apart
Flowering	May (outdoors)
Position	partial to full shade; humus-rich, moist soil
Hardiness	hardy
Toxicity	all parts are highly toxic to humans and animals; keep away from children and pets

View all lily of the valley in the webshop. Business customers see prices after logging in. Our current catalogues are on the Downloads page. For a quotation, please contact us.