If your lily of the valley won’t bloom, it may just be that you need to be more patient. Some gardeners have reported that they have boom and bust years with lily of the valley flowers, but you also may not get many blooms until your plants have been well established in the right conditions.
Over the years, a thick patch of lily of the valley may become congested with its own roots, which can compromise flowering. Rejuvenate your beds by taking out a third or so of the pips and adding some fresh soil and compost. The blossoms will return the following season.
If you had a dry winter or spring, your bed of lily of the valley may have gotten too dry. During drier years, be sure to water them more to encourage blossoming. Having no flowers on lily of the valley plants is a bummer, but it can be fixed.
Thin out your bed late this summer or early in the fall and you will probably get more flowers next year. Lily of the valley plants like to have moist, although not soggy, soil. If you had a dry winter or spring, your bed of lily of the valley may have gotten too dry. During drier years, be sure to water them more to encourage blossoming.
Why are my lily bulbs not flowering?
Lilies do not flower if the bulbs are too small or not yet mature, over crowded, planted too shallow or if they are located in too much shade. Some lilies do not flower if the Winter temperature is too mild as they require a period of cold weather to bloom.
Why are Lily of the valley flowers so expensive?
The tiny flowers make the process too labor intensive and expensive. Fragrance companies instead produce sophisticated synthetic versions, usually labeled muguet, the plant’s French name. Gardeners, however, can content themselves with the real thing when lily of the valley flowers each spring.
What does a lily of the valley plant look like?
A lily of the valley plant sends up a single flower stalk that has as many as 12 waxy, white flowers. The fragrant flowers are nodding, are bell-shaped, and have scalloped edges. In a zone-5 garden, C. Majalis blooms for most of the month of May. Green berries may succeed the blossoms, later ripening to red or orange.
Then, how long do Lily of the valley flowers last?
Generally, the lily of the valley plants bloom in spring, and its delicate, fragrant flowers can be seen and smelt for at least 3-4 weeks. Even though it is a garden plant, you can also grow the lily of the valley indoors.
You might be wondering “Do Lily of the valley have bulbous roots?”
Native mostly to Eurasia, lily of the valley plants can be grown in planting zones 2 to 9. This puts them among the hardiest of perennials. When you buy some to plant them in your yard, they usually come as bulbous roots called “pips.”.