The fragrant, waxen white bells of the native woodland gem lily of the valley, which ring in the merry month of May, symbolise romance and carry good fortune.
LILY of the valley has been cultivated for centuries, grown initially in herbal and medicinal gardens, its spent flowerheads, when ‘distilled with wine and drunk in quantities of a spoonful’, able to ‘restore speech unto those who have the dumb palsey and are good against gout, and comfort the heart’, according to notes in Gerard’s Herball of 1597. In contrast, the red seed-containing berries, produced in September, are regarded as highly poisonous if ingested.
However, lily of the valley, known as muguet by the French, had already long been cultivated for its fragrant blooms. It’s said that, on May 1, 1561, France’s Charles IX was given lily-of-the-valley flowers for good fortune. He was so appropriately charmed that, on each subsequent year, he gave small perfumed sprigs to the ladies of his Court.
In 1948, May 1 was pronounced as Labour Day, also known as fête du muguet, which the French celebrated annually by giving tiny, romantic or good-luck muguet bouquets to family and friends.
Although today we largely consider lily of the valley a garden plant, it was also cultivated in great quantities as a cut flower. Its crowns can be lifted and planted in pots or large wooden boxes in autumn for gentle forcing, under glass, to produce winter-flowering houseplants or stem for cutting, after which they can be happily replanted outdoors.
Vigorous, broad-leaved Convallaria majalis Fortin’s Giant was considered the optimum forcing and cut-flower variety, its tall, long stems perfect for floral arrangements and bridal bouquets. Bridal Choice offers 8in-long flowering stems, weighty with wide cupped, perfumed wedding-worthy flowers.
Denne historien er fra May 08, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 08, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Happiness in small things
Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming
Colour vision
In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan
'Without fever there is no creation'
Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines
The colour revolution
Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili
Bullace for you
The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright
Lights, camera, action!
Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one
Bravery bevond belief
A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth
Let's get to the bottom of this
Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply
Sing on, sweet bird
An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds
