Each week, I thought it might be lovely to wander through the garden together, learning the Victorian language of flowers, one bloom at a time.
I’m beginning with Lily of the valley not only because it’s one of my favorite flowers to grow and gather, but also because of its perfect timing.
Traditionally, in France, sprigs of Lily of the valley are gifted on May 1st as a wish for good luck and prosperity. And as it happens, here we are. Timing, as they say, is everything.
In the language of flowers, Lily of the valley or Convallaria majalis carries a gentle but powerful message, a return to happiness.
It also speaks of purity, humility, and sweetness, qualities that feel especially fitting in spring, a season of beginnings, renewal, and quiet hope.
The flower is often associated with motherhood and is frequently woven into wedding bouquets, its delicate bells offering both beauty and meaning.
There’s an easy elegance to Lily of the valley that I return to again and again.
Perhaps it’s because my birthday falls at this time of year, when these small white bells begin to appear quietly and without fuss.
Over time, they’ve become one of my signature blooms, the flowers I instinctively reach for, the ones that feel like a reflection of my own rhythm and season.
If you like the idea of “signature blooms,” it’s a lovely practice: noticing which flowers call to you year after year, which ones you gather without thinking, which ones feel like home. Lily of the valley is that for me.
It also asks very little in arrangement.
A easy gathering, a gentle mass of stems is enough. Their soft fragrance does the rest. There’s no need for grandeur, just a small vessel and the willingness to let something simple be very beautiful.
Easy elegance, in its truest form.
The flower is also known as May lily, May bells, or the French muguet des bois. However dainty and beautiful, this beauty carries a quiet warning. Every part of Lily of the valley, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and berries is very poisonous. It contains cardiac glycosides, which can cause serious distress to the heart.
Interestingly, this natural defense means deer, rabbits, and other animals leave it alone, making it an easy plant to cultivate in the garden.
This time, I’m ending with a poem, as we begin our exploration of the language of flowers together!
xRebecca
There is a language, little known,
Lovers claim it as their own.
Its symbols smile upon the land,
Wrought by nature’s wondrous hand;
And in their silent beauty speak,
Of life and joy, to those who seek
For Love Divine and sunny hours
In the language of the flowers.
— The Language of Flowers, London, 1875
May 1st bouquets for sale and pathways lined with Lily of the valley.
Harvested Lily of the valley - toxic from the roots to the blooms - For her wedding to Prince Rainier III on April 19, 1956, Princess Grace of Monaco carried a small, simple, and iconic posy of white Lily of the valley.
