Lily of the valley is a rhizomatous perennial in the Asparagaceae (asparagus) family native to Eurasia. This groundcover grows to a height of 10 inches and a spread of 1 to 2 feet with lush green leaves and delicate, fragrant bell shaped white flowers. Plant in dappled to partial shade to full shade areas in moist organically rich soil. It is tolerant of summer drought and heavy clay or dry soils and is resistant to browsing by deer and rabbits. Plant at a depth of 3 inches to the base of the rhizome with 15 to 25 plants per square foot and top with mulch every fall.. If you wish to enjoy the bright red berries then genetically different plants must be placed in proximity of each other to promote cross pollination. Propagate by division in the fall or by seed. The plant grows slowly, but in ideal growing conditions, the plant's dense rhizomes can spread and choke out other plants. Use this ground cover in shady areas, planted under shrubs, in the fronts of beds, in rock, cottage, or woodland gardens. The flowers make an excellent addition to bouquets, so consider planting these in the front of a cutting garden. It resists erosion so can be planted along a slope. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Few to no insect problems. Leaf spot may occur. The plant naturalizes easily and it is reported as invasive in Wisconsin and Arkansas and may become weedy and aggressive in regions with moist, cool, winter climates. Native alternatives should be considered. See the left column for recommendations. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 10 in. | Width: 0 ft. 4 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low; Medium
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal simple paired elliptic or narrow ovate leaves 5 "-10" long 3" to 5" wide with entire margins and parallel veins. Petoioles wrap around a basal stalk that is partially buried underground.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
1-sided, slender cluster (raceme) about 4"-9" long tucked into and shorter than the leaves. 6 to 16 small, nodding, aromatic, white, fused bell-shaped about 1/3" long and wide with 6 lobes that curve out. Flowers appear late spring to early summer for around 3 weeks.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
A r1/4" globoid red berry with 1 to 6 seeds in summer but seldom formed
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Eurasia
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Uses (ethnobotany)
It is used in perfume and in the pharmaceutical industry.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Small Space; Walkways; Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Garden for the Blind; Rock Garden; Shade Garden