Just a short but definitely sweet post today, in honor of my favorite springtime flower and my favorite fragrance in the world: Lily of the Valley.
I look forward to these dainty beauties blossoming every year, and then gather stems of the fair bells to perfume my office. Sadly, the flowers don’t last long, but are wonderfully fragrant while they do.
I would far rather have two or three lilies of the valley gathered for me by a person I like, than the most expensive bouquet that could be bought!”
—Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters
What about you—do you love lilies of the valley, too? What is your favorite aroma?
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JULIE KLASSEN loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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I love lily-of-the-valley. Sadly I had to leave them behind in my garden when we moved last year. I hope the new owners are enjoying them. They do smell awesome.
Hi Linda, Maybe you should buy yourself a lily-of-the-valley candle or lotion so you could still enjoy the fragrance?
Hi Julie,
I too just love Lilies of the Valley! I pick them as soon as I can and put them in a little vase like you. I just love to look how the Lord made them…so intricately designed! The fragrance is wonderful too! A few years ago a friend gave us a few plants, knowing how much I loved them. I can’t believe how they have spread. I look forward to them sprouting up each spring! A gift from the Lord!!
Ermetta
I love them! And they are the “official” flower for my birth month, May. I’ve never grown them, but I think they might actually do well here in our Missouri woods where it’s humid and shady.
I absolutely love lily of the valley! It’s been a favorite for a looooong time. My birthday is this month, so those and lilacs are my favorites. I’m still trying to find some cologne that’s not too expensive. The Coty fragrance I got as a teen is through the roof! I’m now 72.
Sweet post, Julie. That hymn was one of my mother’s favorites.
I also love that fragrance—but I guess my very favorite scent is gardenia—LOVE gardenias!
I’ve told my family that I’d love to own a florist—not to make money, but to enjoy and give away the sweet-smelling flowers! Ah well…a nice daydream, LOL. 😉
Hugs from Georgia, Patti Jo 🙂
This post brings back a sweet memory. Growing up in northern Ohio my mother grew Lilies of the Valley just outside our front door. As a child I didn’t appreciate how much work went into what she did. I do remember the sweet fragrance though. Thank you for bringing to mind this memory of mine.
I live in Georgia. Your post made me realize that I have never noticed them growing here, and cannot conjure up their fragrance. Do they grow in the South? I’ve probably just been unobservant! I’ll be looking for them in the future.
Lilies of the Valley and Lilacs! Love them both!
So pretty! I love spring lilacs. So yummy to catch the wafting fragrance.
During May my whole neighborhood smells of lilac – nearly everyone has a bush blooming! That being said, I also love lily of the valley. Those little bells smell wonderful.
I love lily of the valley and used to have ‘perfume’ in that fragrance. But my favorite is lilacs. I love the flowers so much. We have a bush that many years ago a lady got from France. They are double lilacs. My grandparents inherited the house she lived in because my grandma took care of her in the older years. We ended up owning that house and the bush. It is beyond beautiful! We gave a start of it to a brother-in-law and he later gave a start of it to us when we moved (that is along story). The weather the last two years has caused most of the bloom to freeze but I still could get the smell just a bit.