Lily of the valley gets its charming name from those iconic white, bell-shaped flowers that pop up in the spring. By August, those blooms transform into bright red berries, which are actually little pods holding the plant’s seeds.
Harvesting and Using the Seeds
It’s super easy to tell when the seeds are ready: just wait for those berries to turn a vibrant red in August. Once they’re ripe, you can pop the seeds out of the fruit, dry them off, and store them. Each berry usually holds about five seeds. If you aren’t planning to plant them right away in the fall and want to wait until spring, you’ll need to keep them in the fridge. This process, called stratification, mimics a cold winter and is the only way to “wake up” the seeds so they’ll actually sprout.
Here’s what you’re looking for in a healthy lily of the valley seed:
- About 3 to 4 millimeters long
- A yellowish to light brown color
- A slightly angular, pear-like shape
Pack Your Patience
I’ll be honest with you: growing these from seed is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s definitely the slowest way to propagate lily of the valley. Even getting them to germinate takes a while. After that, the plant needs several years just to develop a thick enough bulb (rhizome) to support growth. Because of this, you usually won’t see your first bloom for a few years.
A Quick Safety Warning
While they are beautiful, keep in mind that lily of the valley is quite poisonous. When you’re harvesting seeds or handling the berries, definitely wear gloves. You’ll want to keep those gloves on for the entire planting process, too—better safe than sorry!
Try Rhizomes Instead
If you’re looking for faster results (and who isn’t?), I highly recommend working with rhizomes instead. You can buy these at a nursery or divide existing ones from a friend’s garden. The best times to plant are spring or fall. You *can* technically plant them in the summer, but you’ll have to be extra diligent about making sure the soil at their location stays nice and moist.
