Convallaria majalis, Lily of the Valley. I always have to sing when I see them (or smell them). Here's a version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxr8X3N1Pbg There are two songs here, and I don't actually know the second one, not about flowers. Nadia promised to post a link to the song she grew up with.
Nadia sent me this link to the song she knows. She says it's a very famous song in Russia, everyone knows it. It's 55 years old(1959); first astronaut Yuri Gagarin listened to it before going to space (1961). The YouTube posting says it's from 1958, named "Lilies of the Valley". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD3y3escvZs It's certainly a very different sensibility from our campfire round.
Sweet and innocent looking little plant. Appearances are misleading, though. It is interesting to see the thick rhizomatous roots of the Lily of the Valley encircle and choke slowly to death the roots of almost any plant that would like to grow in the same bed. Only plants with rhizomatous roots themselves, and equally aggressive, can avoid the death sentence. Slowly, they take the whole bed in their possession. Impossible to get rid of without replacing the soil. That said, I grow the Lily of the Valley myself, the scent is sweet and intoxicating and, yes, what is visible to the eye looks sweet and innocent. But now I keep them well contained.
