Can You Grow Lily of the Valley in Pots?
Lily of the valley is beautiful, but sometimes it can get a little out of hand. The plant grows from rhizomes – fleshy underground stems – and it reproduces itself by branching them out in every direction and putting up new shoots. With good soil, it can get downright aggressive and push out neighboring plants. One surefire way to get around this is by growing lily of the valley in pots. Container growing lily of the valley plants ensures that the rhizomes have nowhere to spread, while still giving you that heavenly scent. And since it’s in a pot, you can move that scent wherever you like.
How to Plant Lily of the Valley in Pots
Lily of the valley can be propagated by division. Either right after the flowers have faded or in the autumn, dig up some of the rhizomes in a lily of the valley patch. You can also buy the rhizomes from garden centers much like you’d buy bulbs. When growing lily of the valley in pots, try to pick a container that’s deeper than it is wide to accommodate its long roots. It’s okay to trim a few inches (7.5 to 13 cm.) off the roots if they don’t fit in your pot, but no more. Use a good standard potting mix. Space your rhizomes 1-2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm.) apart. If you’re planting store bought rhizomes, you should just cover the tops of the buds with soil. Lily of the valley container care is easy. Place your pots in indirect sunlight. If planting in the fall, you may want to bring the container inside until spring. When it starts to bloom in the spring, place it wherever the smell suits you best.
