“What’s in a name?”
Star of Bethlehem boasts one of the most beautiful bulb names of all. Luckily, her flowers match her beauty.
I obtained my start of this flower from a field in East Texas. The beautiful treed lot once housed an old Catholic Church. The church has burned down long ago, and all that way left was the old iron fence from the 1900’s. I walked through the old field, and saw bulb greenery everywhere, growing like grass. At first, I thought it was Grape Hyacinths, so I dug a few for my collection. A few weeks later, the surprise white bloom appeared. I searched through my garden books to find the name of the beautiful flower.
Star of Bethlehem starts with a small white star-like flower, actually similar to the common white rain lily. As the flower grows, more stars appear together, creating a lovely stem of five memorizing white stars…Dainty and pure. Elegant and lovely. Unlike anything else I had in my garden.
Star of Bethlehem is a fast multiplier….setting off-shoot bulb babies AND seeds. Soon, you will have a field of Star of Bethlehem (if growing conditions are right for the seeds.)
The foliage of Star of Bethlehem will grow during winter months only. Make sure to give the bulbs plenty of water to drink during the growing season. As soon as the flower fades, and seeds dry, the foliage immediately disappears. As with all bulbs, leave the unsightly foliage alone until completely dry…..foliage is the bulb’s flower-power for next year’s bloom. Mulch the ground with some good compost while the bulb rests. Pictures of Star of Bethlehem can be found on Heirloombulbgirl Instagram or Facebook.
Mark your calender for March 9th…..plenty of Star of Bethlehem to dig up for your gardens. The Flooded House Garden Dig will take place in Llano, Texas. Every gardener will be given a brown paper bag to fill up with Bulb goodies for free. It’s an old-fashioned garden share….saving the gardens one bulb at a time. For more information, feel free to email heirloombulbgirl@gmail.com
Happy Gardening, my friends.