Lily of the Valley

Photo courtesy of Petalpicker.com

It is an ideal, gentle scent to catch on the breeze, not too stifling or overwhelming. It smells , for lack of a fancier term, pretty....and it comes from tiny, delicate bell-shaped blossoms to boot.

When I was little I loved making miniature bouquets from the lilies of the valley that grew next to my house. There were white and lavender flowers scattered throughout the the giant, leafy carpet in the woods. I would present the flowers to my mum for her to display in a juice glass vase on the windowsill. I remember she was always appreciative, but also told me that if all the lilies were picked then there would nothing left outside to enjoy. ( This probably had something to do with my copycat siblings and their bouquets as well- we were clear cutting the field at an alarming rate!) Still, I loved seeing those tiny flowers dangling from their stems in our window.

This year I planted lily of the valley in my own yard. My family and I are still settling into our house, getting to know our yard, making this place our own. I definitely do not have a green thumb and , unfortunately, there are no fields of lilies nearby like the one from my childhood home, but if all goes well I'll be able to look out soon enough and enjoy a sea of those fragrant bells. So, I'm holding a place on my windowsill.... just in case.