The most beautiful lilies of the valley in the world: Types, symbols, bouquets, Photos. Charming lilies of the valley The most beautiful lilies of the valley

In mid-May, snow-white fragrant flowers appear in the forest between the trees, like magic pearls. It's lilies of the valley blooming.

Today, photos with these beautiful flowers will cheer us up.

In Russia, a legend tells about the appearance of these magical flowers, the main character of which is the water princess Volkhova. She passionately fell in love with a beautiful young man and a wonderful singer Sadko. But the water princess found out that Sadko loves a simple earthly beautiful girl Lyubava. Volkhova realized that she could not become Lyubava's rival, that she would not be able to make Sadko fall in love with herself. Suffering from unrequited love, Volkhova decided to get out of the water ashore for the last time in order to see her beloved one more time, say goodbye to him, and remain forever in the river waters herself. On the shore, where she often saw Sadko, he was not there. In search of her beloved, Volkhova wandered for a long time along coastal meadows and forest paths, attentively listening to the voices of people. And suddenly she heard the voice of her beloved. Among the birch trunks whitening in the dark, she saw two tightly embraced figures walking along a forest path. They were Sadko and Lyubava. She wanted to rush to her beloved Volkhov, but pride did not allow her to do so. The proud princess of the sea turned away from her lovers, decided to return to the river waters and stay there forever. Tears dripped from the eyes of the enamored Volkhova and fell on the forest grass. By morning, they turned into fragrant lily of the valley flowers, which symbolize love and sadness from unrequited love.

And here is another legend about the lily of the valley. Spring did not divide the young man named Lily of the Valley with love for life, and he always thanked her with warm, affectionate words. Spring fell in love with Lily of the Valley, but not for long. Forever young, she is very restless. All her life, traveling from south to north, she does not find peace for herself and, scattering caresses to everyone, does not linger with anyone for a long time. In passing, she caressed Lily of the Valley. However, she soon left spring Flower hot summer. The young man Lily-of-the-Valley cried so much about the beloved Spring that had left him, that the tears turned into white flowers, and the blood of the heart stained the berries.

There is also a legend according to which lily of the valley flowers are pearls that appeared from the happy laughter of a Nymph in love. Since childhood, many people remember the tale of Snow White. When Snow White was escaping from her evil stepmother, she accidentally scattered her necklace, which turned into fragrant flowers. They serve as flashlights for the gnomes. They are inhabited by small forest men - elves. Sunbeams hide in lilies of the valley at night.

Many poets sing of lily of the valley flowers in their works. In these poems, flowers most often symbolize the best human qualities: spiritual purity and innocence, tenderness, fidelity and love.

There is a belief that on bright moonlit nights, when the whole earth is enveloped in deep sleep, Holy Virgin, surrounded by a crown of silver lilies of the valley, sometimes appears to those of happy mortals for whom unexpected joy is preparing. When the lily of the valley fades, a small round berry grows - flammable, fiery tears, with which the lily of the valley mourns the spring, the round-the-world traveler, scattering her caresses to everyone and not stopping anywhere. The lily of the valley in love also silently endured his grief, as he carried the joy of love. In connection with this pagan tradition, a Christian legend may have arisen about the origin of lily of the valley from burning tears. Holy Mother of God at the cross of her crucified son.

The Celts believed that this was nothing more, nothing less than the treasures of the elves. According to their legend, young hunters, having ambushed wild animals in the forest, saw an elf flying with a heavy burden in his hands, and tracked down his path. It turned out that he was carrying a pearl to a mountain of pearls that towered under an old sprawling tree. Unable to resist the temptation, one of the hunters decided to take a tiny mother-of-pearl ball for himself, but when touched, the mountain of treasures crumbled. People rushed to collect pearls, forgetting about precautions, and to the noise of their fuss, the elven king flew in, turning all the pearls into fragrant white flowers. And since then, elves have been taking revenge on greedy people for the loss of their treasure, and lilies of the valley love so much that every time they rub them with napkins woven from moonlight ...

Lilies of the valley belong to shade-tolerant plants, so they grow well in forest areas. Often lily of the valley curtains are found in glades and forest edges. Sometimes its flowers can be seen in the meadows.

AT vivo lilies of the valley are found almost throughout Europe, the Caucasus, China, Asia Minor and the North American continent. In Russia, wild lilies of the valley are found in the forests of the European part of the country, as well as in the expanses of Siberia and Far East.

The plant has several unusual view. On a fragile, seemingly peduncle is a row of flower buds that begin to open from below. Thus, the lower flowers are already open, and the upper ones are just about to bloom. Bees and bumblebees actively fly to lily of the valley flowers to collect the first spring nectar, and at the same time pollinate the flowers. Later, in place of the pollinated flower, a fruit grows, first green, and ripe - orange-red. Ripe lily of the valley fruits are eaten with pleasure by birds, thus, lily of the valley seeds are carried far from the mother plant. The color of the ripe fruits of the lily of the valley is also reflected in the legend, according to which, the lily of the valley was so sad for the outgoing spring that the blood that came out of his sad heart dyed his tears red.

The aerial part of the lily of the valley consists of a peduncle and two hard large leaves, and long thin rhizomes are located in the soil, which contain nutrients, necessary for the plant for active development and flowering in early spring.

Although the plant is poisonous, it also has medicinal properties. The pharmaceutical industry uses lily of the valley leaves and flowers to make medicines that regulate the heart and reduce nervous excitement.

Due to the small amount of active substance, the natural components of lily of the valley are not used in the perfumery and cosmetics industry. For the manufacture of cosmetics, artificially synthesized substances with the smell of lily of the valley are used.

Lilies of the valley take root well in the garden. Wild lilies of the valley are great for growing in the garden. For getting planting material it is necessary to come to the forest in early autumn and among the bushes and tree trunks to find a plant with yellowed wide leaves hanging from a strong low stem. Lilies of the valley must be dug carefully, along with a clod of earth. Young peripheral roots remain in the ground, from which new plants can later grow. Returning home, a clod of earth with rhizomes of lilies of the valley is dug in the garden, so that the plants are in light partial shade during the summer.

In addition to growing outdoors, many flower growers grow lilies of the valley as houseplants. Landing is carried out in the fall. For cultivation in a room, rhizomes with well-formed two- or three-year-old shoots are selected. Selected rhizomes are planted in wide low pots filled with forest soil, it is advisable to add a little sand to the mixture. Planted plants are watered several times for two or three weeks, and then the pots with lilies of the valley are transferred to a cool, darkened room. At the end of January, the pots are transferred to a warm room and placed on the windowsills, protecting the plants from direct sunlight. Lilies of the valley are watered occasionally, preventing the soil from drying out. In a few weeks you will be able to admire fragrant flowers, despite the frost and snowstorm outside the window. In addition, lily of the valley flowers fill the air in the room with phytoncides that have a tonic effect on nervous system of people. A person breathing air with such phytoncides improves mood and increases efficiency.

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 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 is translated from the old Polish denotes the ear of a doe.

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.

Lily of the valley blooms in May and continues to delight the world 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 a slight wet 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.

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. AT 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.

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 chemical substances the plant will not be suitable for medicinal use. 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.
Often made from lilies of the valley wedding bouquets- it 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 clearings, tractor caterpillars and unharvested branches.

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.

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.

Silver lily of the valley grew on the edge.
White bell of tender beauty.
A small gift from Spring - girlfriends -
On the green carpet - modest flowers.

A light wind touches the bells gently,
They will ring with joyful music.
And the birds will pick up the song diligently
Festive orchestra Maiden - Spring.

May lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) how many gentle smiles this flower causes. And he has many names, here are some: vannik, smooth, convallia, hare ears, forest tongue. Lily of the valley belongs to the lily family. The Latin name of the lily of the valley in literal translation means "lily of the valleys, blooming in May."

A beautiful spring flower, there are many poetic legends about its origin. An old Russian legend tells of the hopeless love of the water princess Volkhova for the daring Sadko. Learning about his true love for the simple girl Lyubava, she went ashore to last time listen to the songs and playing the harp of your beloved. Volkhova walked for a long time through the meadows and forest edges, but Sadko was nowhere to be found. Suddenly she saw two among the slender birches - these are they, Sadko and Lyubava. The proud princess wept with grief, bitter tears rolled down from her blue eyes like the sea. They fell like pearls into the grass and turned into fragrant silver flowers - a symbol of fidelity, love and tenderness. Destitute of grief, Volkhova left forever in her cold underwater kingdom.

AT Ancient Greece there was a myth that told how once the goddess of the Hunt, Diana, the sister of the radiant Apollo, hunted in an unfamiliar forest inhabited by fauns. Seduced by the beauty of the girl, they began to pursue her. The slender huntress Diana ran away from them, but she had to run too far and fast, she was tired, her whole body was covered with droplets of sweat, which, falling to the ground, turned into fragrant silver bells of a lily of the valley.

O first lily of the valley! From under the snow
You ask for sunbeams;
What a virgin bliss
In your fragrant purity!
Like the first ray of spring is bright!
What dreams descend in it!
How captivating you are, a gift
Flaming Spring!
So the maiden sighs for the first time -
About what - it is not clear to her, -
And a timid sigh is fragrant
The excess of life is young.

(A. Fet)

Among the peoples Western Europe lilies of the valley are the dwellings of the little forest men - elves, and the necklace of Snow White, who, running away from her evil stepmother in winter, lost it in the forest, and it turned into silver bells. According to other legends, these are dwarf lanterns

For a long, long time, elves lived and lived in a dense forest. People hoard gold, and the elves hoarded their wealth - white pearls. One day, hunters wandered into the forest kingdom of the elves. They lay down to rest and see an elf with a pearl flying somewhere. The hunters followed him and saw a large mountain of wealth. The hunters rushed to grab him, and the whole mountain collapsed. Pearls rolled through the forest in different directions. But the chief elf wizard did not want people to get this wealth, and turned the beads into white flowers, into lilies of the valley. Since then, the elves have been taking care of the flowers, polishing the leaves of the flowers with a cloth woven from moonlight to a shine.

Since the deep Middle Ages, the “lily of the valley festival” has been preserved in France. It is celebrated on the first Sunday in May. The day before, in the afternoon, the villagers go to the nearest forest for lilies of the valley. Having collected bouquets, they return home in the evening. The next day, in the morning, collected lilies of the valley decorate rooms, windows and even doors. After a fun breakfast, they arrange dancing. Each dancer has a bunch of lilies of the valley, the girls pin it to the corsage, the boys - in the buttonholes of their frock coats. Young people who like each other exchange bouquets.

The flowering of the lily of the valley coincides with that time of spring, when it gradually turns into summer, and by the middle of summer, red drops of fruits form on it. There is a legend about this. When the lily of the valley blossomed, he saw Spring. She was so beautiful that the lily of the valley immediately fell in love with her and, no matter how much he looked, he could not enjoy her beauty. Yes, and Spring itself was not indifferent to a small, elegantly dressed flower, hiding under a wide green umbrella. But Spring, after all, is a round-the-world traveler, she smiles at everyone, gives affection to everyone, but does not stay anywhere for a long time.

With winter all the problems
settling so easily
rise like diadems,
my forest lilies of the valley...

Silver - white,
dressed in pointe shoes,
fragile, timid
in dew, as in diamonds.

And all the ravines, slopes
dress up unexpectedly
in green nylons
and in stems - fountains,

secluded streams,
in pebbles and pellets
languid will cover themselves
porcelain lilies of the valley...

Under the smells of the forest,
the burden is lifted from the soul!
Oh, drunken lilies of the valley,
your time has come...

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 shop windows are especially popular. flower shops. 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. The literal translation of the flower is "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
at high temperature 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 room 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

If you notice the first symptoms, you will immediately apply for medical care because 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 charcoal, sorbex) a drug to cleanse the body from the inside;
put an enema until the full exit of clean water.

Smell forest dweller 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 hostess plants in her own way, but in in general terms you need to plant each flower at a distance of 10-15 cm, 15 cm deep into the ground and sprinkle 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 even in current season won't bloom.