Lily of the Valley | Old Fashioned Spring Flowers

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Gardening  | Plant ID

Convallaria majalis

Used in bridal bouquets for it's lovely scent and as a base for many designer perfumes, lily-of-the-valley is a tough little plant that grows as a ground cover in shade and part shade. It is an ideal choice for groundcover, under trees where grass won't grow. The photograph above, is reflective of the old fashioned, heirloom quality of this flower. I placed the flowers in an amber, Fostoria powder and perfume boudoir set. The background is a coverlet that I designed and crocheted, made from ecru cotton thread and apricot colored ribbon.  

  

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe, but is considered generally invasive in parts of North America. Convallaria majalis var. montana, also known as the American lily of the valley, is native to North America.

It is a member of the Asparagaceae family

These lilies grow in a colony in hardiness zone 5. The lilies expand by sending out roots.
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Convallaria majalis L.

Lindman, C.A.M., Bilder ur Nordens Flora, vol. 2: t. 390 (1922-1926) 

Source: Plants Illustrated

 

~~~ 2025 Hyden Photography ~~~

for 

Grassroots Horticulture

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Basil

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Gardening | Plant ID

Basil varieties offer diverse flavors and scents

Herb Gardening 

This year we have expanded the varieties of herbs we are growing. Sweet basil is so easy to grow in our 7b-8a hardiness zone garden. This basil cultivar is the best choice for anything Italian like soups, sauces, and pesto. Other varieties include Italian large leaf, lettuce leaf, Genovese, and Napoletano basil. Plants height is 14 to 30 inches tall. They are prolific in hot, sunny locations. 

If you harvest the top four leaves often, the plant will continue growing and producing the best sweetly flavored leaves for culinary use. These are the varieties of basil we are having success with so far: sweet basil, Aristotle, African blue basil, lemon basil, lime basil, cinnamon basil, lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil, spicy bush basil, and purple ruffles basil.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Growing Basil

Basil is an easy to grow and often used culinary herb. Mediterranean  food is now becoming a very healthy choice for people watching their diet. Place in a sunny spot with good soil.

African blue basil

Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum

African blue basil is a sterile perennial hybrid, with purple coloration on its leaves and containing a strong portion of actual camphor in its scent. This basil species is native to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia. 

Cinnamon basil (Mexican spice basil)

Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon'

Also called Mexican spice basil, with a strong scent of cinnamate, the same chemical found in cinnamon. 

Lettuce leaf basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Lettuce Leaf'

The lettuce leaf basil has leaves so large they are sometimes used in salads.

Thai basil

Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum

The Thai basil has a scent of licorice, small to medium leaves and purple flowers

Lemon basil

Ocimum americanum

Lemon basil contains citral and limonene, and smells very lemony. It has a sweet flavor.  It can be found under alternative names, hoary basil or Indonesian basil. 

Lime basil

Ocimum americanum

The Minimus Basil

Aristotle basil  (Ocimum minimum  'Aristotle')

rounded bush form with small delicate leaves

Neat, compact mounds of small leaves with a most delicious flavour make Basil 'Aristotle' a stunning ornamental, edible pot plant. The aromatic foliage adds flavour to all manner of dishes, particularly Italian recipes. This Greek basil is perfect for growing on the kitchen windowsill or in containers outside the back door. Height: 20 inches.

Table 1. Basil Varieties                                                                                                                              ________________________________________________________________________ Common name Species and cultivars African blue basil Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum Aristotle basil (Greek basil, bush basil) Ocimum minimum  'Aristotle' Boxwood basil Ocimum basilicum 'Boxwood' Christmas basil Ocimum basilicum 'Christmas' (cross of Thai and Genovese basil) Cinnamon basil (Mexican spice basil) Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon' Clove Basil (tree basil) Ocimum gratissimum Cuban basil Ocimum basilicum 'Cuban' Dark opal basil Ocimum basilicum 'Purpurascens' Dwarf bush basil Ocimum minimum (alt. Ocimum basilicum var. minimum) Fino verde basil Ocimum basilicum piccolo 'Fino verde' Genovese basil Ocimum 'Genovese Gigante' Greek bush basil (Greek spicy globe basil) Ocimum minimum (alt. Ocimum basilicum var. minimum) Greek column basil Ocimum basilicum x citriodorum 'Greek Columnar' Greek Yevani basil Ocimum basilicum 'Greek Yevani' Holy basil Ocimum sanctum (alt. Ocimum tenuiflorum) Lemon basil Ocimum americanum Lettuce leaf basil Ocimum basilicum 'Lettuce Leaf' Licorice basil Ocimum basilicum 'Licorice' Lime basil Ocimum americanum Magical Michael Ocimum basilicum 'Magical Michael' Mammoth basil Ocimum basilicum 'Mammoth' Mrs. Burns lemon basil Ocimum basilicum var. citriodora 'Mrs. Burns' Nufar basil Ocimum basilicum 'Nufar F1' Osmin purple basil Ocimum basilicum 'Osmin Purple' Purple ruffles basil Ocimum basilicum 'Purple Ruffles' Red rubin basil Ocimum basilicum 'Red Rubin' 'Siam Queen' Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum 'Siam Queen' Spice basil Ocimum basilicum × americanum Spicy globe basil Ocimum basilicum 'Spicy Globe' Sweet basil Ocimum basilicum Sweet Dani basil Ocimum basilicum × americanum Thai basil Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum Thai lemon basil Ocimum × citriodorum Thai Holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum (synonym Ocimum sanctum)