Lily Of The Valley Is Particularly Suited To Growing In Pots – They Help Control Its Spread
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
If you are considering growing lily of the valley, in the right situations, it could be an attractive plant to grow in a wide range of gardens.
Lily of the valley is a woodland plant, commonly grown as ground cover under trees in a reasonably moist area of deep or partial shade.
However, even if you do not have much space, you can still grow this spreading plant in containers.
You might do so to contain its spread, or simply because you only have room for a small container garden.
“Growing Lily of the Valley in containers is a great option for following on from early spring bulbs in pots or even for including in a lasagne planting scheme with successional spring bulbs,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“Just make sure to locate and reuse the rhizomes when repotting.”
Since the plant has a pleasing fragrance, growing it in containers also means that you can move it around to enjoy the smell.
Suitable Containers
When choosing a container for lily of the valley plants, note that you will usually need a container that has sufficient depth to accommodate the root system of the plant.
Choose a container that has enough room for the crown or rhizome you have purchased or for the young plant you may have purchased/moved.
Sourcing Compost
A standard peat-free multipurpose compost or a homemade equivalent will be fine for growing lily of the valley in pots.
The medium you choose should have plenty of organic matter for moisture retention and fertility.
Potting Up
Rhizomes can be placed into individual pots 8-9cm across or spaced around 2.5-5cm apart in a larger container.
If you are planting lily of the valley rhizomes purchased from a garden centre or plant nursery, you should just cover the top of the buds with soil.
You can trim the roots a little to fit them into a container, though it is best to keep trimming to a minimum.
Don’t cut off more than 10cm or so at most.
How Many Can You Plant Per Pot?
How many you can plant per pot will of course depend on the size of the crown or offset you are planting, and the size of the container.
Remember, these will spread over time but can be divided later.
Another thing to consider is planting lilies of the valley in mixed container displays alongside other woodland plants.
You might consider planting these with other spring woodland plants, such as bulbs like snowdrops or English bluebells, as well as other plants that like shaded and moist conditions.
Ongoing Container Care
Convallaria majalis is a pretty straightforward plant to care for – even when being grown in pots.
Some key rules to follow are:
- Place containers in deep shade, partial shade or dappled shade, in a sheltered spot.
- Keep the plants well watered during dry spells, especially through summer. Remember that plants in containers typically need to be watered more than those in the ground.
- Enjoy the fragrant flowers in spring, and berries in summer.
- Mulch around the top of the containers with leaf mould in autumn.
In essence, you should look to try and replicate the woodland environment these plants are typically found in.
