Convallaria majalis
In a pot
Lily of the valley can be cultivated in pots as well.
A big advantage is that when they flower you can easily place the pots on a prominent spot. Beside the front door, on a table in the back yard,
or indoors on a window-sill. When the flowers have faded the pots can be returned to where they came from.
Convallaria in pot can also be forced into flower, so that they flower earlier than outside in the garden. In this way you extend the
enjoyment of the flowers and fragrance.
The plants need 6-7 weeks at a temperature of 0-5 degrees before forcing can start. Or 8-10 weeks between 5-10 degrees.
To achieve this, wrap a pot in a plastic bag as soon as the leaves died back in October and put it on one of the
lower shelves of the refrigerator.
After they had enough cold, the pots can be placed on a light spot in a greenhouse or at home. Don't place in the livingroom as
the temperature is too high and the light levels too low, giving plants that are thin and weak. It's better to put them somewhere at 10-15 degrees,
for example on a window-sill in a bedroom.
As soon as they are in flower, you can place them in the livingroom although they will last longer in a cooler place.
On a similar way you can also take care of blooms and fragrance on a later time of the year. Put some pots in the refrigerator early February
and take them out in May. Then you will have flowering Convallaria plants in June/July!
Please note that the later you take them out of the refrigerator, the shorter their growing season will be. This might result in less flowers in the year after.
Plants grown at home are not used to the stronger light conditions outside. Placing a plant from the house in the sun outside
cause leave burn and give fewer flowers the following year...
So harden them off first, for example two weeks under a garden table, before you give them direct sunlight.
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