My Way of Living + Light

Hands down, one of my all time favourite perennials. Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majali with it’s smooth, oval shaped green leaves, and fragrant upside down flowers that resemble white bells is simply a stunning plant. It may not be a plant that you find in every garden these days, and I am not sure if many gardeners do grow them, but let me know if you do. When we were children my Mom would occasionally open up her handmade [by my Dad] cedar hope chest. Inside nestled in tissue was her wedding dress, and a small bouquet of silk Lily of the Valley flowers, that she had carried on her wedding day. When I got married, it became very important that we echoed the sentimentality of those lovely flowers and somehow get Lily of the Valley for my niece, who was my flower girl, to carry. This was in the Okanagan, over 11 years ago, and fresh Lily of the Valley were not something florists carried until they were in season. I still remember driving all over Vernon the day before our wedding, looking for Lily of the Valley. And finally at the last florist I hit, there were a little bunch of Lily of the Valley. They were not fresh, but silk, but at that point, plastic would have been good enough for me! Well worth the effort, but I still can’t look at pictures of Lily of the Valley without remembering that search. I have a carefully tended clump outside my patio here, and each year I make sure to get lots of photos. My Mom still loves to see them, and they have a very special meaning to both of us. .