Favourite Flower for May: Lily-of-the-Valley

If you are one of those brides that long to have Lily-of-the-valley in your bridal bouquet, then take note that now is the best time to have your wedding day!  It is always a sure sign that summer is just around the corner when this simple but beautiful flower starts to bloom in the garden and its wonderful scent fills the evening air.

Thoughts on this lovely flower brought to you by Helen Jane Floristry!

The perfect little white bells of the Lily-of-the-valley plant are almost hidden beneath the relatively large glossy dark leaves

May’s flower – Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis)

Lily-of-the-valley has a very short season, flowering throughout the month of May in my own garden, although it is possible to buy it from commercial growers over a slightly longer period.  If you can persuade it to grow in your garden count yourself lucky, although if it is particularly happy there it will soon spread and might need to be contained.

Here it is growing in my own garden – not for picking though!

It is not often that I see this beautiful flower at the flower wholesaler, but this week a few bunches were available.  Looks lovely en masse doesn’t it?

But why is Lily-of-the-valley so popular with brides?  Well, it is a beautifully delicate-looking flower which works so well in dainty bouquets and posies and looks particularly good where the brides’ gown and veil has lace detailing.  To see what I mean, check out this picture of Kate Middleton holding a bouquet containing Lily-of-the-valley when she married Prince William at the end of April last year.

The flowers also have a fantastic aroma, and I am often asked by brides to recommend scented flowers for their bridal bouquet – perhaps so they can conjure up their special day whenever the smell the same scent afterwards?

It is also a very traditional flower for weddings and its name and meaning are steeped in legend.  Amongst its common meaning are: ‘return of happiness’, ‘purity of heart’ and ‘sweetness’, all of which are very appropriate for a bride on her wedding day!  And legend has it that the flowers sprang from Eve’s tears when she and Adam were forced to leave the Garden of Eden (although in other versions the flowers sprang from the Virgin Mary’s tears when she witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, leading to one of the flower’s other names: ‘Mary’s Tears’.

Kate's bouquet - not one I made myself!  But to see examples of my own wedding floristry work, pop across to my website!

The sprays of tiny white bells mix well with other delicate flowers in white or pastel colours and you would not have to be concerned about your flowers overpowering your dress, however detailed.  The only real concerns about using this beautiful flower are its seasonality and its relatively high cost – so if this is a real must for you, pick your wedding date with care!