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Ipheion uniflorum ‘Wisley Blue’
spring starflower
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Image © Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Image © Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Image © Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Image © Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center |
Printer-friendly Fact Sheet
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| Outstanding Qualities |
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This vigorous, clump-forming, bulbous perennial is grown for its profusion of pale, lilac-blue flowers in spring. As this color is unusual in the garden, it really stands out. Tuck it in around hostas and peonies, for it will bloom while they are just beginning to emerge and it will be dormant during summer. Although the flowers of spring starflower smell like honey or soap, its grass-like basal leaves smell like onions. This species is native to Argentina and Uruguay. In the wild, flower colors include white and pale blue. ‘Wisley Blue’ was selected at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden in England for its slightly deeper flower color. This modest bulb continues to confound botanists, as demonstrated by the many genus names it has held (in alphabetical order): Brodiaea, Ipheion, Milla, Tristagma and Triteleia. Tristagma uniflora is the currently accepted name, but it is not widely recognized horticulturally. |
| Culture |
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Spring starflower is easy to grow in full sun and reasonably fertile, well-drained, humus-rich soil. Apply a light dosage of fertilizer while starflower is in bloom. It becomes dormant through the summer, so cut back the basal leaves as they begin to wither and provide a little water during summer dry spells to keep the underground bulbs from shriveling. Spring starflower can easily be dug up and divided as the foliage starts to decline after it blooms. |
| Growing Habit |
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Spring starflower is a small perennial plant that produces star-shaped flowers on 6- to 8-inch stems in spring. Its grass-like leaves first appear in late fall; they grow to 10 inches long before withering and becoming dormant by summer. The plant forms a bulb which rests in summer. This perennial spreads vigorously forming a large patch. |
| Hardiness |
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USDA zones 6 to 9 |
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Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden