Too Much of A Good Thing
Lily of the Valley, A Beautiful Nuisance, Spring 2026
We spent the morning digging up a large swath of Lily of Valley that was beginning to overtake the flower bed along our sidewalk. This is not an easy job because this delicate plant with fragrant little bells has an extensive and deep root system. The plants were beginning to spread beyond the mulch into the grass. Tiny shoots were spreading and smothering nearby perennials. Fortunately, I had my gardening gloves on because I later read that all parts of this plant are poisonous and can cause skin irritation. Dave dug under the plants with a shovel, turning the soil over. I knelt and used the hand trowel to shake the plants loose. I’m sure we didn’t get all of the roots, but hopefully, most.
The job wasn’t fun, but the joy of working alongside my husband on a cool, spring morning almost made up for the hard work. I am well aware of our aging bodies and can plainly see that this kind of work will soon be too much for us. Still, we keep moving. Waiting to see what each day might bring.