What is Lily of the Valley?

I absolutely love lily of the valley. I’ve always thought of the lily of the valley in a biblical sense, because it is a common biblical reference. Jesus is sometimes referred to as the lily of the valley among other things.

As such, I like to keep some of these beautiful flowers planted in my yard. Then when they come up, my children and I discuss their significance. You’d be surprised at what kind of an amazing teaching tool something like that can be.

It is much easier to see how lovely, beautiful and serene that flower is (like Christ) than to explain to them what an invisible entity they have never seen is like.

Lily of the Valley is also mentioned in an old gospel hymn. Referring to Jesus, the chorus goes, "He's the Lily of the Valley, He's the bright and morning star..."

Lilies are mentioned several times in the Bible, and they often refer to beauty. A verse in Songs of Solomon reads, "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys," in reference to the beauty of the bride of Christ.

Jesus told his disciples not to worry about the future, and in so doing, he mentioned lilies. He said that if God so beautifully clothes the lilies, which today are here and tomorrow are thrown into the fire, why didn't they believe He would clothe them, who were much more important than flowers?

I have a very shady front yard, and I find that Lily of the Valley flourishes here, beneath the shade of the large oaks and pecan trees. The beautiful pure blooms remind me of cotton. They look so radiant against the green and brown background of dirt and trees.

I wish that these flowers lasted as long as some of my others. They tend to die back in the late summer or early fall - it’s hard to tell which is which around here, because we can have hot days in October.

Even though they don’t last all that long, I will keep them around as long as I can get them to grow here. Those little dots of purity seem like a touch of heaven in my garden.

If you want a beautiful, highly fragrant spring delight you can't go wrong with a Lilac and Lily of the Valley bouquet.

Both of these flowers bloom in early spring and are known for their strong fragrance. The small white blooms of the Lily of the Valley are a wonderful complement to the lavender Lilac blooms.

Some lilac blooms are also white, but all of mine are purple in color, and look so beautiful blended in with the white Lily of the Valley. They both have such a soft, clean fragrance that lift my spirits every time I catch a whiff of their scent.

If you live in an area where you have long, cold winters like I do, I am always looking for ways to have an early spring.

You can force Lily of the Valley pips to bloom in about 3-4 weeks if you plant them indoors in the winter time. This way you can have a fresh breath of spring inside, long before mother nature is ready outside.

Once they are done blooming indoors, you can wait until it is safe to plant them outside, and get a head start on an outdoors Lily of the Valley garden.

I look forward to these beautiful, fragrant flowers every spring. Even though they are a small plant and don't get very tall, if you have several of them planted together, you can't miss that sweet Lily of the Valley fragrance.

I have mine planted in a shady area growing with several kinds of ferns. They are easy to take care of and will also spread if given room.

Also referred to as May bells. Beautifully fragrant white flowers.