Lily of the valley may be a decoration of your garden

Lily of the Valley May - a description of this elegant flower is familiar to many residents of our country. It grows not only in Europe, but also in the Far East, the Caucasus and Eastern Siberia.

Lily of the valley in May in all aerial parts contains glycosides of cardiac action. This flower found a rather wide application in folk medicine. From it, preparations are prepared for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, as well as painkillers, soothing and anticonvulsant tinctures. Just remember that this plant is poisonous and uncontrolled reception can lead to serious consequences.

Despite the fact that for industrial purposes the plant does not harvested the lily of the valley, in the forests it grows smaller every year. Therefore, he was brought to the Red Book. But it can grow beautifully and multiply in the garden. Only for this purpose it is not necessary to take wild-growing specimens. First, in this way the law will be violated, because specially protected plants can not be torn, let alone dig. Secondly, they will multiply very quickly and can behave very aggressively towards other plants in your garden. It is better to purchase planting material in a specialized store, especially since there are very interesting varieties. So, for example, in Rosea, the flowers have a gently pink color, while in Flore Pleno they are very large and dazzlingly white. Attracts the attention of Hardwick Hall, in which the green leaves have a golden fringe. The garden form Latifolia flowers are terry and have a pink color.

Lily of the valley May is a perennial plant that has a creeping rhizome of cordlike shape. It grows with curtains not more than 30 cm high. This flower usually has two, but sometimes there are also three radical broad-leaf leaves. Flowers drooping, have the form of a bell, are collected in a one-sided brush. Depending on the weather conditions, it blooms from mid-May to early June. At the end of summer a fruit is formed - a very attractive berry of bright red color.

Lily of the Valley May is very unpretentious and feels quite well in the penumbra. For example, it is very convenient to place under bushes or fruit trees. But with strong shading does not bloom, but only vegetatively propagates. This plant is rather drought-resistant, but with a lack of moisture, it melts. In one place it can be grown up to 10 years.

In the garden, the lily of the valley may be better planted in well-prepared soil. These flowers prefer wet, but well-drained soils, light weakly acidic loams, but not bad take root and neutral. Strongly acidic soils must be limed.

You can propagate lily of the valley in May, both in spring and in autumn. As a planting material, shoots with a small piece of rhizome and roots are used. They are planted in shallow grooves, in rows, with an interval of at least 20 cm. We need to coat the layers with a layer of earth up to 2 cm thick. In summer, if there is heat, planting should be well watered, because the lilies of the valley love water. In the first year, plants require mandatory weeding, and then they will not allow the appearance of weeds. For good growth, it is recommended to cover plantings with compost or well-dispersed manure. At the end of the summer, mineral and organic fertilizers can be added. Lilies of the valley are frost-resistant plants, so they do not need winter shelter. In the first year after planting, they usually do not bloom, but then a corner with charming fragrant flowers will appear in your garden.

You can try to grow this adorable flower from the seeds. Two months before planting, they must be stratified. They are sown in rows to a depth of about 2 cm. The distance between the plants should not exceed 12 cm, but if necessary, thinning can be carried out. Lilies of the valley, grown in this way, will bloom for 3 or 4 years.