I wish you could smell this post [grin]

Wish we had a 'like' button.

Lovely Lisagran there is a custom here in France to give a sprig of Lily of the Valley to friends on May Day.

My parents had a scrubby and totally uncared-for garden surrounded by privet and this one, glorious flower.
It came up every year and I (a keen gardener but at that time with no garden) adored it.

I can smell it in my memory.

I have a large clump of them growing in my garden, given to me by a dear friend who died almost 20 years ago. A lovely reminder of her.

We lived next to a large tract of woodland in Belgium that was smothered in lily of the valley. The scent was truly heady and something to look forward to. I had some in my last garden but, despite my nurturing them, they struggled and eventually disappeared.

My favourite too! Mum used to pick some and wrap them in damp tissue and post them to me for my birthday when I was at university. They have not thrived in any of my gardens ?

I can’t get them growing either and like Nannytopsy they remind me of my mum.

Mine are growing happily in some rough soil where there is dappled shade. The patch I nurtured lovingly died off within a few years. I can only assume they don't mind being neglected!

Ooh, those bring back memories☺

Nearly thirty years ago, I arrived at the house of some French friends on 1st May. Apparently, it is - or was - traditional to pick these in the woods, or buy some, on that date. My host had put a small vase of them in my bedroom, but that lovely scent was so strong that I had to remove them in the middle of the night!

Years later, I planted some in my back garden, but they failed to thrive. Meanwhile, some spread into the front garden from the house next door, and did so well that they became a pest, and I eventually had to dig them all out.
I seem to have something of a love-hate relationship with them!

Last year I put about 7 or 8 of these in a trough and I thought that they'd died (shrivelled up and went brown) so I just shrugged my shoulders - you win some, you lose some with gardening, after all.
This morning I noticed that a few of them have come up again, one or two with the flowers which has amazed me. Looking forward to the scent.

Where do you live to have them flowering already? Everything is a fortnight early this spring but my lily of the valley have only just come up.
I have lost most of my sense of smell but can vividly remember the lovely smells of lily of the valley, lilac, apple blossom and bluebells. The scents of spring.

My late MIL's favourite flowers. Her granddaughter (husband's niece) rang the other day to ask if I wanted some as she is thinning them out so hoping I can make them thrive! Sadly no sense of smell so won't be able to detect their perfume any more.

They’re fabulous plants. Mine line a path so the scent wafts up as you brush by.
I’m drawn to perfumes that use Lilley of the Valley as a base in their manufacture.

Paw always used to give me a little bunch of muguet on 1 May

When I was seven years old back in 1960 I was chosen to be May Queen at my primary school May Day celebrations. My posy was Lily of the Valley. The smell takes me right back to that day. My favourite flower. I tell me husband to put a posy on my coffin when I'm gone!

Should have read "my" husband!

Lovely - just lovely.

Mine aren't in flower yet but many have their flower buds showing. I live in Worcestershire.