Star Flower Ipheion-uniflorum

Star Flower Ipheion-uniflorum

I was concerned that my Star Flowers, Ipheion-uniflorum, were not going to bloom this year. Star Flowers (Starflower) are early spring bloomers; and in the early spring we suddenly had hot days with temperatures of 35°C (95°F). Those hot days almost fooled the Star Flowers into thinking it was time to go dormant again. However, the days cooled back down and the Star Flowers did indeed bloom. I don't think the Star Flowers bloomed as heavily this year due to the stress of the hot days.

Star Flowers are early spring bloomers and after they bloom, they quickly store food in the bulbs and disappear. In fact, the leaves and flower stalks are already disappearing in my gardens. This can be a problem as I accidentally dug up a clump of my star flowers last year when I added a plant to one of my beds; I had forgotten they were there. I love these little flowers and I have several clumps of them around the gardens.

Star Flowers require very little care. I often find them growing in the grass and will relocate them into one of my beds. They will grow in partial shade to full sun. Star Flowers spread by self-seeding and from bulb offsets. If you find the blooms declining after a few years, the clumps need to be dug up and the bulbs divided and replanted; this needs to be done after the plant has died back and gone dormant. Star Flowers are planted from bulbs in the fall at a depth of 10 cm (4 in) in well drain soil. They are hardy zones 4-9.