Lily of the Valley (Convallaria)

The sweetest of scents plus clusters of waxy white bells on a slender, curved stalk make lily-of-the-valley an old-fashioned cottage-garden favorite. A perennial that's hardy in all Zones, it spreads naturally by underground rhizomes, creating an elegant carpet of smooth oval emerald-green leaves with pointed tips.

Plant pips (as convallaria's small rhizomes are called) in October or November; set their pointed ends up and space them 6 to 12 inches apart just below the surface of the soil. They'll tolerate unimproved soil, grow well in either sun or part shade, and bloom for two weeks every spring. And the deer won't eat them!

Insider's secret Lily-of-the-valley roots must be kept cool. Set pips in the dappled shade of a wall or tree in humus-rich, water-holding soil. Keep soil moist by adding a layer of leaf mulch or compost in fall or spring.