When Does Lily of the Valley Bloom? A Full Guide to Its Flower Meaning and Legends

Lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asparagaceae family. Its flowers are pure white as snow, single or double, with small bell-shaped blooms that look beautiful and smell very fragrant. So, when does lily of the valley bloom? What are its flower meaning and legends?

1. When does lily of the valley bloom?

1. Lily of the valley grows wild in northeastern and northern China at altitudes of 850-2500 m, in moist spots under forest on shady slopes or along gullies. It blooms from May to June each year, and its flowers hang in clusters along the flower stalk.

2. In China, lily of the valley is called junyingcao; in the UK, it has the elegant name “Lady's Tears” and the common name “Lily of the Valley”; it also has other names such as fenglingcao, caoyuling, perfume flower, deer bell, xiaoluling, caocunxiang, millet vegetable and lulihua.

2. What is the flower meaning of lily of the valley?

1. The flower meaning of lily of the valley is the return of happiness. In China, lily of the valley blooms quietly in deep mountain valleys, waiting for a destined person to pick it, so its flower meaning expresses the hope of waiting to gain true love and wishing for happiness to find its place. Legend says that whoever receives this flower will be favored by the goddess of fortune and enjoy happiness, health and good luck for a whole year.

2. The flower meaning of lily of the valley expresses blessings even more. In France, a bride's bouquet is accented with lily of the valley, symbolizing the arrival of happiness and the start of a new life. On the French “Lily of the Valley Day” every May 1, French people give lily of the valley to each other to wish one another a year of happiness, and the recipient usually hangs the flowers in a room to keep all year, symbolizing that happiness stays forever.

3. What are the legends of lily of the valley?

There are many legends about lily of the valley, and here we introduce some of them.

Legend one: It is said that Adam and Eve believed the lies of the great serpent and ate the forbidden fruit. Saint Leonard, guardian of the forest, swore to kill the great serpent. In the fierce struggle, Saint Leonard, exhausted, perished together with the great serpent, and from the ground where he died grew white, small bell-like, fragrant lilies of the valley. Everyone says that lily of the valley is the incarnation of Saint Leonard, because this flower embodies his blood and spirit.

Legend two: There is a beautiful legend in Ukraine that long ago a beautiful girl waited devotedly for her lover who had gone on a long expedition. The tears of longing fell on the forest grass and turned into fragrant lilies of the valley. Some say they were beads scattered from Snow White's broken pearl necklace, and others say they were the little lanterns of the 7 dwarfs.

Legend three: There is another legend in Ukraine about a young man named “Landysh” (the Russian word for lily of the valley), who was heartbroken because his beloved “Vesna” (meaning spring in Russian) left him. The young man's tears turned into the white flowers of lily of the valley, and the blood flowing from his broken heart turned into its red berries.

Legend four: Some say that lily of the valley was formed from the tears of the Virgin Mary mourning Christ, and call it “Our Lady's Tears”; many people also translate this as a woman's tears.

Summary: Lily of the valley blooms from May to June each year. Its flowers are pure white as snow, small and bell-shaped, and pleasantly fragrant. Its flower meaning is the return of happiness and expresses blessings even more. There are many legends about it, which this article has introduced, and we hope it is useful to everyone.