When to plant lily of the valley?
- Botanical name
- Convallaria majalis
- Family
- Asparagaceae
Lily of the valley is planted from September to October. It flowers from April to May.
Lily of the valley is a perennial plant.
Lily of the valley spreads by rhizomes on its own, so division in autumn is a thinning of an overgrown patch. It does well even in deep shade.
The plant contains cardiac glycosides and saponins. Poisoning strikes the heart and the beat turns slow and uneven. The red berries are poisonous as well.
The leaves die back every year and the rhizomes overwinter in the soil, so there is nothing to cut in autumn. A layer of leaf mould is spread over the patch, which holds moisture in the ground.
Lily of the valley through the year
- planting
- flowering
In short
Growing conditions
Is lily of the valley toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Toxic to people and animals, toxic parts: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds and sap.
Pests and diseases
Listed here is every problem for which the sources name this plant as a host. The problems are not listed in order of how common they are.
- Signs
- The half round notches along the leaf edges in summer are the work of the adult beetles and do the plant little harm. The larvae are the danger: white grubs with a brown head eat the roots, the plant suddenly drops its leaves and dies, most often between autumn and spring.
- Prevention
- Most at risk are plants in pots and troughs. In a bed the damage is rarer. At repotting check the roots and the compost and pick the larvae out. You find the adult beetles in the evening with a light, when they crawl over the plants.
- What to do
- Pick the adults off in the evening, set sticky traps indoors and change the compost, removing the larvae as you go. There is no insecticide. As biological protection, water beneficial nematodes into the compost at the end of summer, while the larvae are still small.
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Related plants
The plants below are in the same botanical family (Asparagaceae).
Sources about the plant: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Royal Horticultural Society, University of Illinois Extension, Wikidata. Checked between 14 and 28 August 2026.