How to prune lily of the valley

Remove spent flower stems in late spring; tidy dead foliage in autumn. Snip faded flower stems at the base. In autumn, once leaves have yellowed and collapsed, cut or pull them away at soil level. Avoid disturbing or trimming the leaves while they are still green.

Rarely — annual tidy of spent flowers and dead autumn foliage only. Lily of the valley requires almost no pruning. Remove flower stems after blooming if tidiness matters, but the broad leaves should be left to die back naturally in autumn — they feed the rhizomes (pips) for next year. Cutting foliage early weakens future flowering. Divide congested clumps in autumn rather than pruning to refresh the planting.

Snip faded flower stems at the base. In autumn, once leaves have yellowed and collapsed, cut or pull them away at soil level. Avoid disturbing or trimming the leaves while they are still green.