Sun star

Sun star: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact bulb about 30 cm tall and 15 cm wide.

Leaves

Light green, lance-shaped, in a rosette at the base of the flower stem.

Flower

Dense raceme of orange, sometimes yellow, star-shaped flowers with a dark green to brown centre, from May to July.

Bulb

Small, round bulb that sits just below the soil surface.

Rest

After flowering the leaves die back; the bulb rests dry until the following spring.

Flowering: May–July · Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• Bright orange star-shaped flowers from May to July: a warm splash of colour for the patio.
• Compact and suited to a pot on the patio, balcony or windowsill.
• The raceme opens gradually, so flowering lasts for weeks.
• Good cut flower: the racemes last a long time in a vase.
• Easy to look after: the bulb rests dry and needs little water.

Sun star: where does it grow best?

• Full sun or a very bright spot; in shade it flowers poorly and the stems get long.
• Very free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky: potting compost with a third sand or perlite.
• Dry to normal: during growth the soil can be lightly moist, but it must never stay waterlogged.
• Not hardy: grow it in a pot so you can move it frost-free in autumn.
• Allow 3–5 bulbs in a 15–20 cm pot.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: lift the bulbs or tubers before the frost and store them frost-free

Goes well with

• Lavender: Blue-purple flowers next to the orange stars, in a sunny pot.
• Blue fescue: Fine blue-grey foliage as a backdrop for the orange flowers.
• Pelargonium: A sun-loving patio pot full of colour.
• Verbena: Long flowering in purple shades beside the orange racemes.

Sun star: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Plant in March–April in a pot with drainage holes.
2. Use potting compost with a third coarse sand or perlite so water drains away well.
3. Set the bulb pointed end up and cover it with 2–3 cm of soil.
4. Plant 3–5 bulbs in a 15–20 cm pot, 4–5 cm apart.
5. Water a little after planting, then sparingly until the leaves grow.
6. Put the pot in a bright, frost-free spot and only move it outdoors after mid-May, when night frosts are over.

Care

Water

Keep the soil lightly moist during growth and let the top layer dry out between waterings. Never leave it standing in water.

Feeding

Every two to three weeks, a little fertiliser for flowering plants during growth, until the leaves turn yellow.

Light

As sunny as possible, so the flower stems stay sturdy.

Spent flowers

Cut off the stem once the flowers have faded, or cut it earlier for a bouquet.

Rest period

When the leaves turn yellow, stop watering. Keep the pot dry until the following spring.

Tip: Grow it in a pot on the patio or windowsill and keep the pot dry after flowering until the following spring. A very free-draining mix stops the bulb rotting.

Sun star: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Cut off spent stems and the dead leaves in August.

How:

• Cut faded flower stems off at the base.
• Leave the leaves until they turn yellow, because the bulb then builds up its reserves.
• Remove the dead leaves once they come away easily.

Caution: Do not cut off the green leaves and do not stop watering too soon: the bulb needs them to build up reserves.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

In spring, when repotting: pull off the small offsets and plant them 2–3 cm deep in a pot of their own. They flower after a few years.

Seed

Sow in spring in pots of seed compost in a warm, bright spot. Seedlings only flower after a few years.

Sun star: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 0 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: the plant does not tolerate frost. Bring the pot inside in autumn, before the first night frost.
• Keep the bulb dry and frost-free until March, for example in a cool, bright room, a garage or a cellar.
• Repot the bulbs in spring in fresh potting compost and then start watering sparingly again.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: The bulb is soft and mouldy, especially with too much water or a pot without drainage. Keep the soil dry, use a very free-draining mix and throw away affected bulbs.
• No flowers: Only leaves appear. The cause is usually too little light, a bulb that is too small or a bulb that was not given a dry rest. Put it in the sun and let it rest properly after flowering.
• Long, floppy stems: The plant is too shaded. Move it somewhere brighter and cooler.
• Aphids: On buds and young stems. Rinse them off with water or wipe them away.

Through the year

• March: Plant or repot in fresh compost.
• April: Plant. Keep indoors or sheltered for now.
• May: Flowering begins. Move outdoors after mid-May.
• June: Full flower. Keep lightly moist.
• July: Flowering ends. Cut stems for a bouquet.
• August: Leaves yellow: stop watering.
• October: Bring the pot in, dry and frost-free.
• November: Dry rest; no water.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of star-of-Bethlehem are poisonous, especially the bulbs, which look like little onions; the flowers and the vase water are poisonous too, to people and pets. Never store the bulbs with the vegetables and keep a vase out of reach of children and cats. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The genus name Ornithogalum means ‘bird’s milk’: it comes from the Greek ornis (bird) and gala (milk).
• The English name ‘sun star’ refers to the sunny, star-shaped flowers.
• In the wild it grows in South Africa, in open, sunny places in the Cape provinces.