It’s the Lily of the Valley

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: 2021/06 – June

For many visitors to Highlands, the Botanical Gardens at the Biological Station is reason alone to make the trip.  And for the Highlands residents, it is a refuge for which to give thanks.  Since 1962 the Botanical Gardens – a research, teaching, and conservation facility – has dedicated more than a dozen acres to “a wide array of the rich botanical diversity of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and environs.” Hundreds of native and Cherokee plants are on display in the moss garden, rain garden, and high elevation rock outcrop garden that comprises the Botanical Gardens.  Bulb Gardens, Homeowner’s Demonstration Area, and Gern Glades inspire the residential gardener.

In short, it seemed like the right place to seek counsel on a flowering plant for a Highlands’ residence. When I called on Rachel Martin, horticulture specialist there, she was quick to recommend the Convallaria pseudomajalis variety – the native species of the Lily of the Valley.  Before coming to Highlands last December, Martin worked at the Scott Arboretum of Swathmore College and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. In short, she knows her stuff.  She assured me that the Lily of the Valley is perfect for the shady areas so typical to our area.   It’s a delightful and easy plant, with flowers of tiny, waxy bells so deliciously fragrant that it’s become a favorite scent for perfumes.   And when cut and brought inside, they easily fill a room with their bouquet.  Placed into the ground at the base of a tree or under a shrub, it will stay low, rarely exceeding 8 inches in height.  Though the bloom season, from the end of April into mid-May, is short, its foliage will remain green all summer. 

Ideally put in the ground in early spring or fall, Rachel explained that what you will sow are the whole plants– the combined roots and crowns.   You should seek plants with thick crowns, which will produce more flowers, and avoid those with lopsided crowns.  Locally, Convallaria are generally available at two nurseries known for selling indigenous flowers – Chattooga Gardens in Cashiers and Winding Farm in Franklin. Plant 3 or 4 inches apart and cover with an inch of soil.  A light mulch after the ground freezes is recommended.  

Though closed last year due to the pandemic, the Biological Station and gardens are now open daily, year-round.  As June begins, the gardens are just starting to come to life, promising to soon become even more bountiful with the arrival of mountain laurel and rhododendron to follow.  The center offers a full roster of classes, lectures, workshops, summer camps, and outreach programs in a wide range of subjects.   For these offerings and other resources available at the Biological Station and the Botanical Gardens, visit highlandsbiological.org.