
In the Victorian Language of Flowers Lily Of The Valley means the return of happiness! They most certainly mean that to me. They top my list of favorite flowers closely followed by roses, especially old fashion roses! Yet another blog post in the future….for this post…let’s look at the many aspects of this stunner and enjoy its brief seasonal appearance….Spring! When I was a little girl there was a huge vacant lot near my Rogers Park home filled curb to curb with Lily Of The Valley and wood violets….each spring I would gather arm loads of these glorious blooms and when we moved to Evanston we planted a bed of LOTV the length of our home in a bed about three feet wide….stunning and I can still remember their intoxicating smell!

From one of my most favorite blogs https://www.theglampad.com
“Did you know that in France the First of May is a public holiday, officially known as La Fête du Travail (National Labour Day) but also called La Fête du Muguet (Lily of the Valley Day)? It is an occasion to present Lily of the Valley flowers to loved ones. The French tradition of giving Lily of the Valley on May Day is supposed to have begun on May 1st, 1561, when King Charles IX of France was presented with a bunch of Lily of the Valley flowers as a token of luck and prosperity for the coming year.”
It is tradition to hang a May basket on your front door as well as your neighbors and other friends. I say let’s bring back that tradition….it is charming!!!!
By now you know my Lily of the Valley obsession….it doesn’t stop with objects, oh no it doesn’t…it continues to art, much of which I have shared with you and…..needlepoint, lots of needlepoint. The photo below is a close up of the center of a small rug 2’ x 3’ that I designed and worked from a chart. I prefer working from charts rather than painted pieces, just my preference. I have done both, having created hundreds of pieces over the yesrs. This particular work was done in 1974 (it is signed and dated) and has been a wall hanging, a small area rug and now rests on the back of one of my loveseats.

A few of my LOTV collections….






Of course a couple of Fabergé pieces…



Some fashion…. “From his favorite flower, lily of the valley, Dior would make it an essential part of his couture. First there is this dried strand which he sews at the hem of each of his creations. Then there is the lily of the valley which he wears in a buttonhole and the one he offers, every May 1st, to his “little hands” and his biggest customers.” Quote found on Pinterest and, by the way, check out my nenasnotes Pinterest for my Lily Of The Valley board…lots and lots to look at there!! Now some pieces from Dior…








And some knockouts from Hubert de Givenchy…


From Monique Lhuillier

Or perhaps some food…..this extraordinary cake and fabulous cookies…


From Carolyne Roehm…..https://www.carolyneroehm.com





Or perhaps some papier-mâché….am mad for these, I do have several pieces in my collections!


Or so there is always a tune…..

I could go on and on and on…..but I’ll stop here and let you enjoy the wonderful tradition of May 1st and the promise of its flower!

All photos, other than my collections or cited websites, were found on Pinterest photo credit unknown.