Lilies of the valley are a wonderful spring scent. The most beautiful lilies of the valley in the world: Types, symbols, bouquets, Photo Tonic face mask
Fragile, dressed in pale white, and sometimes pale pink petals, lilies of the valley intoxicate everyone with a drunken aroma. Rare in their kind, they are listed in the Red Book.
Beautiful lilies of the valley become a kind of muse for florists, artists are inspired to create still lifes, photographers for a new type of photography - professional photography of flowers. They are named after spirits, pets, household appliances, cafes and restaurants.
Photos of lilies of the valley, roses and daffodils in the windows of flower shops are especially popular. Widely used in perfumery.
Short story
Among the people they are also known as: konvaliya, May and field lily, Mayevka, Cheremka.
The plants owe their name to the works of the outstanding botanist Carl Linnaeus. Literal translation flower "lily growing in the valley."
There are several origin options. According to one of them, the name is borrowed from the Polish word "lanuszka" due to the similarity of the leaves with the ends of the ears of a wild fallow deer. In another way, these are copulations of the two words "incense" and "breathe" because of the pungent and fragrant aroma.
Lily of the valley is a forest perennial plant that grows in the Northern Hemisphere. They are most often found in cool or damp places.
Walking through the forest, sometimes you can find whole glades of lily of the valley leaves, but you can’t see the bells themselves. The whole reason is that the maximum period of life of the rhizome is up to 21 years.
Bloom
The first flowering occurs at 7-8 years old, at 10-12 years old they lose this opportunity. New dark green leaves are formed every spring, the ability to bloom appears after 2-3 years.
The powerful smell and pollen attract bees and bumblebees. The fruit of the flower is a round orange or red berry. The plant itself is poisonous, but it is widely used in modern medicine. Has been used since ancient times.
Growing and propagating lily of the valley should be done very carefully, following the usual safety precautions.
Application in medicine
- improvement of the heart
- strengthening blood vessels
- insomnia and neurosis
- included in allergy medications
- high fever and headaches
- for the treatment of cholecystitis and the removal of inflammatory processes
- psychiatric disorders
medication based on medicinal flower only after consulting a doctor and strictly observing the dose of application.
Reverse sides of blooming lilies of the valley
A bouquet of lilies of the valley should not be kept in a small, cramped and enclosed space. Especially in the bedroom or the room of a small child. Fans of this plant often need to ventilate the room. Because of the strong aroma, you can simply get poisoned.
Symptoms of poisoning
- headache and frequent dizziness, up to loss of consciousness
- nausea and vomiting
- drowsiness and general malaise
- tearing and the first signs of allergies
- darkening in the eyes
- cramps and numbness of the limbs
- temperature rise and pressure surges
Having noticed the first symptoms, you will immediately seek medical help, as the consequences can be fatal.
Before the paramedics arrive:
- throw away the flowers, use water or a solution of potassium permanganate to induce a gag reflex and clear the stomach;
- drink any sorbent ( Activated carbon, sorbex) preparation for cleansing the body from the inside;
- put an enema until the full exit of clean water.
The smell of the forest dweller is fresh, with a tart aftertaste, with a barely noticeable note of tenderness. It goes well with jasmine, lily and wild roses.
In the forest, due to the strong aroma, it is easy to find, it usually grows in groups or entire clearings.
Lily of the valley care
Lily of the valley adapts well to any weather conditions. But it does not tolerate drafts and direct sunlight.
At home, planting a flower is very simple. Planting lilies of the valley can be done using their own berries or by dividing the rhizome. Actively uses the artificial breeding of new varieties.
The downside is low frost resistance and late flowering. In the first case after 6 years, in the second case after 3 years.
The best time for planting is mid-autumn. The land is prepared in advance, fertilizers can be used. Each housewife plants in her own way, but in general terms, each flower should be planted at a distance of 10-15 cm, 15 cm deep into the ground and sprinkled with light earth 1-2 cm.
Thoroughly pour water at room temperature. In winter, cover with any material to keep warm. Planting can also be done in the spring, but such a flower will be painful and will not bloom this season.
They do not need care. All you need to do is maintain moisture, remove weeds and loosen the ground around from time to time.
Lilies of the valley are very aggressive plants, in the general bouquet it displaces and leads to rapid fading, death of other flowers.
fertilizers
- The first fertilizer is carried out at planting, you can use egg shells;
- Second, 30 days after planting, good rotted organic matter is introduced;
- At 2 and 3 years of age, organic fertilizers with a small amount of nitrogen;
- Later, every June, feed for growth and growth.
photo of lily of the valley
Delicate lilies of the valley have long been considered a symbol of spring. In May, wonderful flowers appear in the forests, resembling scatterings of snow-white pearls - lilies of the valley. They grow on the edges of a mixed forest, forming whole carpets of thickets. They are not only perfect for their beauty, but also have a dizzying aroma of spring.
This most beautiful May flower managed to win the hearts of many peoples, thanks to its bells with a delicate aroma. The broad green leaves resemble the ears of deer, which is probably where the name "landushka" comes from. This, translated from the old Polish language, means the ear of a fallow deer. Read about here.
It is also believed that the name comes from the church incense incense. When burned, it releases an aroma reminiscent of the aroma of lily of the valley.
It's perennial herbaceous plant propagated by means of a root. Its roots are not thick and creeping. Leaves in the amount of two pieces grow from the rosette and have the shape of a deer ear. Between them is a bud, from which a sprout grows and bells are formed, and then berries.
The stems are erect and die back in early summer as soon as the flowers stop blooming. On one stem, there are an average of 14 bells with a delicate aroma. The color of the bells varies from white to pale pink. Lilies of the valley are very strong flowers that easily conquer new shady territories. He is not afraid of temperature fluctuations. The flowering stem itself is leafless. - all the most interesting here.
Lily of the valley blooms in May and continues to delight the world around for about a month. After flowering, small red berries appear on the stem, which serve as a delicacy for birds living in the neighborhood. The fruit is a round red berry about 7 mm in diameter, filled with round seeds.
On the flowerbeds, a carpet of lily of the valley leaves looks great, but when this carpet is covered with white flowers, it seems that fairies live in some bluebells.
Exist different kinds lilies of the valley growing within Russia:
- Transcaucasian.
- May.
- Keyskey.
- Silver.
- Pink.
All this variety is vigorously used in medicine. Lilies of the valley quickly spread throughout Europe and won the hearts of people so much that people not only collected bouquets, but also used it in the treatment of heart and other diseases. Deforestation also led to the disappearance of flowers, and in fact the flower does not grow in the bright sun.
Lilies of the valley began to disappear from the surrounding forests, and were soon listed in the Red Book. There is such a belief that if you pick one flower from a common blooming carpet, then after some time all the others will disappear.
In order not to cut lily of the valley flowers in the forest every year, people began to grow them in their flower beds. After all, this does not require any main move, the main thing is not to dig this area. The whole secret is to choose a suitable area in the flower garden.
The best place is in the shade of trees with slightly damp soil. The key to a long flowering of lilies of the valley is coolness and shade.
After a couple of years, the roots will spread so that this place will no longer be enough for flowers, and it will claim new territory.
The plant lives in one place for about 10 years, so you need to prepare a mail rich in organic matter. To do this, it is necessary to fertilize with already rotted manure and dig a flower bed to a depth of 25 cm. In such good conditions the plant will live for a very long time. After that, planting rhizomes will need to be updated so as not to lose the flower. Soil preparation should be carried out a year before transplanting lily of the valley rhizomes. See how to do it here.
It is best to plant in September or April so that it takes root well. It is not advisable to engage in transplantation in the summer, since during the heat it can die. After planting, the rhizome should be watered intensively until the plant takes root.
There are two options for breeding lily of the valley:
- seed method;
- root method.
The second way to grow faster and more convenient. To do this, the rhizome is dug up and cut into pieces about 10 cm long. The main thing is that there should be a growth bud on this segment. Fold the cut pieces of rhizomes into pre-dug grooves to a depth of about 3 cm and dig in with earth without trampling it.
Do not plant sprouts too close to each other at the very beginning, because due to the density, new shoots can be affected by gray rot.
When propagated by seeds, sprouts will appear only in the second year, if the seeds are not collected by birds or mice. It will be tightly tied leaves and no flowering. In the second spring, the rhizome will grow and only in the third year will flowers appear.
Caring for lilies of the valley is quite simple. In the summer heat, they are watered, not allowing the earth to dry out. The plant is frost-resistant and therefore it should not be covered additionally. It coexists well in flowerbeds with lungwort and ferns.
Diseases and pests
Lily of the valley can be affected by fungal diseases. It can also be exposed to nematodes and sawflies. Remove diseased plants from the flower bed and burn them not in your own area. Treat the remaining plants with special preparations sold in garden centers.
Lily of the valley is also known as a distillation plant. In order to expel the plant, in September, the rhizomes are dug up and put into storage, put in a box and sprinkled with peat. It should be stored in a cool place at a temperature of -3 to +5 degrees.
In early December, they are planted in boxes or pots in pre-prepared loose, fertile soil. The bowls with planted rhizomes are placed in a room with a temperature of up to 24 degrees Celsius and watered a little. A month later, the lily of the valley begins to sprout, and in February it begins to bloom. Read about here.
Lilies of the valley - medicinal properties
Since the time of Copernicus, lily of the valley has been considered an excellent medicinal plant, and thanks to this it has become a symbol of healing.
Do not forget that lilies of the valley is a medicinal plant that helps people get rid of diseases such as:
- diseases of the nervous system;
- arrhythmias;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- fever;
- physical stress;
- rheumatism;
- headache.
For people with diseases of the stomach, kidneys and liver, extracts from this medicinal plant cannot be accepted. For them, it will be tantamount to taking poison. After all, a beautiful flower with an unforgettable aroma for a person can be poisonous. Therefore, it is impossible to make decoctions without doctor's prescriptions in any case.
If you need to collect this plant, then this cannot be done within the city limits. Since due to gasoline vapors and other chemicals, the plant will not be suitable for use in medicinal purposes. Therefore, these plants are collected in forests remote from megacities.
Harvest this plant during flowering, cutting off with scissors near the rhizome, so as not to damage it. For medicinal purposes, everything is collected: leaves, flowers, and berries. All this is collected in May, early summer, while the lilies of the valley are in bloom and the leaves are in the juice itself.
Drying is done in the shade with good ventilation. Drying is also carried out in special drying cabinets, where the temperature is set to 60 degrees. Medicines can also be prepared from only plucked lily of the valley flowers.
Lily of the valley tincture
We fill any container by three quarters with plucked flowers and top up with 90% alcohol. All this is infused in a dark cool place for 3 weeks. Take 20 drops five times a day.
Lily of the valley dry flower tincture
1 tbsp dried flowers pour 200 gr. boiling water, wrap and let it brew for half an hour. Take one tablespoon every 2 hours. This drug is excellent for conjunctivitis.
In violation of the heart rhythm
Mix valerian 10 ml, lily of the valley tincture 10 ml, hawthorn extract 5 ml. and menthol 0.05 ml. applied 25 drops three times a day.
Pharmacies also sell drugs made using lily of the valley:
- Zelenin drops;
- various cardiotonic drugs;
- drug "Convaflavin".
But we must remember that the lily of the valley is poisonous and its overdose threatens with poisoning. And when using drugs, you must strictly adhere to the recommendations given by the doctor.
Toning face mask
Grind 2 tablespoons of red berries, add one yolk there. Apply the resulting mask on the face, after 15 minutes it will be necessary to wash it off. warm water and wipe with a warm cloth dipped in milk. Making masks weekly, after a month and a half, fine wrinkles will be smoothed out and the complexion will noticeably improve.
- The aroma of lilies of the valley is used in the preparation of perfumes, soaps, shampoos. It is difficult to obtain an extract from flower buds, therefore, for the perfume industry, the smell was removed chemically.
- In Russian legends, lily of the valley flowers are called the tears of the sea princess Volkhova. She fell in love with the beautiful harpist Sadko, who did not reciprocate her love, and therefore, alone at night, shed tears of her lonely love, which by morning turned into wonderful lily of the valley flowers.
- There are also legends that when the first mermaid fell in love, her laughter scattered like white pearls across the clearing near the lake.
- From childhood, many people remember the fairy tale about Snow White, how she, running away from her stepmother, scattered her pearl necklace. And they turned into white lilies of the valley. And now they work as flashlights for little gnomes.
- And also in these bells sunbeams spend the night.
- Wedding bouquets are often made from lilies of the valley - after all, this is a symbol of untouched purity.
In order to enjoy lilies of the valley and escape from everyday difficulties, it is not necessary to go to the forest and pick flowers, breaking their ideal glades. It is better to plant them in your flower garden and admire this miracle of nature every year.
With the help of a bouquet of these flowers, you can always confess your pure love for a person and it would be nice to do this on May 1, because in France this day is celebrated as the day of lily of the valley and spring.
How to pick lilies of the valley and keep the bouquet fresh?
It is recognized by all that lilies of the valley are the most fragrant spring flowers. They are listed in the Red Book. But, finding yourself in the May forest, to be honest, hardly anyone can resist picking a bouquet.
According to experts, lilies of the valley can only be harmed by improper collection of the flower itself. To prevent the plant from dying, you should carefully pull out the flower itself without leaves from its middle and try not to damage the rhizome. Coarse forest clearings, tractor caterpillars and unharvested branches are much more harmful to the spread of this plant, unique in its beauty and aroma.
Lily of the valley tends to grow rapidly, and those gardeners who decide to grow it need to remember this. Within a few years, the plant can fill a significant part of the garden. Now among flower growers, the cultivation of terry and pink lilies of the valley has become widespread. But for most connoisseurs of the plant, a pure, white, porcelain color is closer. Read about here.
You should know that the fruits of lily of the valley, which appear at the end of summer, are very poisonous. They look attractive, so it is necessary to warn children about the dangers of their use.
A bouquet of lilies of the valley usually fades quickly. In order for it to stand for as long as possible, it is advisable to fill in flowers with unsettled tap water, as is usually advised, but river or lake. You can throw a pinch into the water citric acid. Leaves should not be torn, as this spoils the plant, in addition, in a bouquet they quickly wither, turn yellow and rot.
