Plant Fragrant Favourite Lily-of-the-valley

With a daintiness that belies their hardy nature, the perfumed bells of Convallaria make this shade lover a must-have for May, says Graham Rice

- Graham Rice

We all know the delightful flowers and intense fragrance of lily-of-the valley (Convallaria majalis). And it has proven itself a real toughie in gardens all over the country. But there’s more to this pretty perennial than endurance alone.

First, C. majalis is a British native wildflower. Granted, many of those we sometimes see growing in copses and hedgerows have been thrown out from gardens, but lily-of-the-valley grows wild naturally in ash woods on limy soil in Lancashire and Cumbria, in acid woods in the south-east of england, in cracks in limestone pavements – even in bogs.