Happy First of May!

My friend Kim Nijsten from the Netherlands inspired me with a photo and post about flowers this morning on Facebook.

"Happy 1rst of May!
Convallaria majalis
in Dutch: lelietje der Dalen
in French: Muguet"

I love these little flowers. In English they are called Lily of the Valley. In German their name is Maigloeckchen. In translation that means little May-bells. I think that describes them perfectly.
I remember when I was little I would go for walks in the woods with my family this time of year. We'd visit the forest on weekends in search for the pretty little white flowers that smelled so good. We were not allowed to pick them, just smell, because they were protected by law.

I just spent this weekend working in the garden with the family. A neighbor gave us a batch of Maigloeckchen last year. They have grown in nicely in the shaded area right next to the house. I can look at them from my window.

Lilies of the valley like moisture and shade.  There is not much of that to go around in Colorado. We carefully pulled out all the weeds around them to give them more space to grow. Then we mulched the bed with woodchips that we had received from the Greeley Cleanup program this weekend. This will help preserve the much needed moisture.

I think my little flower friends are very happy now. So am I - looking at them - remembering my childhood in Germany.

Thank you for Maigloeckchen! They make me smile.