Drooping star-of-Bethlehem

Drooping star-of-Bethlehem: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb about 30 cm tall and 10 cm wide, growing in clumps.

Leaves

Narrow and grass-like, blue-green to dark green, with a white midrib; they disappear in summer.

Flower

Loose, one-sided raceme of nodding, silvery-white bells with a broad green stripe on the outside, in April–May.

Bulb

Small, round, white bulb that quickly forms offsets.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Silvery-white, nodding bells in April and May, when the garden is still fresh and open.
• Does well in partial shade and under shrubs, where many bulbs flower less well.
• Bees and bumblebees visit the flowers in spring.
• Naturalises in a good spot and forms fine clumps after a few years.
• Low maintenance: once planted, it returns year after year.

Drooping star-of-Bethlehem: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade is ideal, for example under deciduous shrubs; it also tolerates sun and light shade.
• Free-draining, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Moderately moist in spring; the soil can be drier in summer.
• Plant in groups of at least 10 bulbs, 8–10 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Ferns: Fresh green foliage in the same partial shade, which makes the white bells stand out.
• Hosta: Its emerging leaves hide the dying bulb foliage.
• Lungwort: Flowers at the same time, in pink and blue.
• Primrose: Yellow or pink, early in spring beside the white bells.

Drooping star-of-Bethlehem: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant from September to November, while the soil is not yet frozen.
2. Dig a wide pit or separate holes; in heavy clay, mix in some coarse sand.
3. Set the bulb pointed end up, 8–10 cm deep.
4. Leave 8–10 cm between bulbs and plant in groups of 10 or more for a good effect.
5. Water once after planting, unless it rains.
6. Do not plant it right next to small, delicate plants, because it can spread strongly.

Care

Water

Keep lightly moist in spring while it is growing. No watering is needed in summer.

Feeding

Little needed. A thin layer of leaf mould in autumn is enough.

Leaves

Leave the leaves until they turn yellow on their own, usually in June, so the bulb can build up reserves.

Spent flowers

Cut off the seed stems if you do not want it to self-seed.

Keeping control

In autumn or spring, remove bulbs that are too crowded or that pop up in unwanted places.

Tip: Plant it under shrubs or in partial shade, together with ferns and hostas. Its silvery-white bells with a green stripe look best there.

Drooping star-of-Bethlehem: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Cut off seed stems in May and yellow leaves in June.

How:

• Cut off spent flower stems if you do not want it to self-seed.
• Leave the leaves until they are completely yellow.
• In grass, mow only once the leaves are yellow, usually from June.

Caution: Cutting the leaves too early weakens the bulb and gives fewer flowers next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

In June–July, when the leaves are yellow, or in September: lift the clump, separate the offsets and replant them straight away, 8–10 cm deep.

Seed

In a good spot it self-seeds. Seedlings take a few years to flower.

Drooping star-of-Bethlehem: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• The leaves may appear above ground in winter; light frost does not harm them.
• In a pot: put it in a sheltered spot against a wall and do not let it stand full of water, so the bulbs neither rot nor freeze solid.

Diseases and pests

• Spreading: The bulbs quickly form offsets and the plant self-seeds. Remove unwanted bulbs and cut off seed stems.
• Bulb rot: The bulb is soft and mouldy, especially in cold, wet soil. Provide well-drained soil and remove affected bulbs.
• No flowers: Leaves appear but no flowers. The cause is usually too deep shade, bulbs planted too close or leaves removed too early. Divide and replant the clump.
• Slugs: Holes in leaves and flowers in spring. Collect them in the evening with a torch.

Through the year

• March: Leaves come up.
• April: Flowering begins. Watch for slugs.
• May: Full flower. Cut off seed stems if you want to prevent self-seeding.
• June: Leaves yellow: divide clumps and replant offsets.
• July: Rest.
• September: Plant or replant offsets.
• October: Plant. Spread a layer of leaf mould.
• November: Last chance to plant.

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.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name nutans comes from Latin and means ‘nodding’, after the hanging flowers.
• The flowers open mainly in sunny weather and close in dull weather.
• In western Europe it grows naturalised in many places in old gardens, parks and churchyards.