ou must have this plant somewhere on your property.
"Lily of the Valley"
If you have a woodsy or natural garden, you must plant the "Lily of the Valley" this spring. This perennial spreads quickly and its tiny bell like flowers will excite any gardener. The plant grows 6 to 8 inches tall and the flowers come from the center of the plant on a tall rigid stem. Each flower stem contains 10 to 12 flowers that last for 2 to 3 weeks outside or 10 days + as a cut flower. The flowers are fragrant and as it fades it makes a seed pod full of seed that disperses them as they mature to spread in your garden. The "Lily of the Valley" makes a good ground cover under tall trees because they grow best in a rich soil with many leaf mold/humus. Plants flower only when they are 2 years old, so you may not have flowers the first year. Plants also force easily during the winter when potted in the fall. If you have shade, this plant is necessary.
Gardening in the shade can be difficult if you don't know your plants, there is one plant you should know and it is called Solomon's Seal. The plant is graceful, erect, and its arching stems carry clusters of bell shaped flowers. The flower is creamy white with a green tip and as the buds open one at a time, the green color is kept on the inside of the bell shaped flower. Groups of flower buds develop where the leaf is attached to the stem and flowers hang down. Sometimes the plant will make seeds that resemble blue-black berries during the summer. If your soil is rich in humus or organic matter, it will spread with underground stems called rhizomes. It will grow best in full to partial shade and most of us have a spot like that on our property. I like this plant and I am sure you will also because it's easy to grow and has no bugs or disease problems. Solomon's Seal will flower in the late spring and bloom for several weeks. It also makes a unique cut flower for your table.
A wonderful and easy to care for perennial is the Echinacea "White Swan", a white coneflower and this perennial blooms from late spring to fall. The flowers rise up on long stems making it ideal, as a cut flower and the blooms are very showy and long lasting. The petals are one to 1\2 inches long and creamy white in color the center of the flower resembles a cone edged in yellow. Once the petals fall, the cone remains on the plant until the winter, and the cone is black in color, very unusual looking. The plant is very hardy and so it is a must for the beginner gardener. The plant grows 2 to 3 feet tall and grows as wide. The plant does best in a sandy soil but grows anywhere and it is very drought tolerant. The large daisy like flowers attracts butterflies and hummingbirds in the summer and birds during the winter for their seeds. The Coneflower loves the heat and the sun and will out last most plants during drought periods.