Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans) Growing & Care Guide for Gardeners
Article by Dean Ravenscroft, Ph.D. - Updated 1st Feb 2024
- Plant Characteristics: Features bell-shaped, silvery-white flowers with a green stripe on the outside, that bloom in late spring. A charming and underused bulbous perennial that adds elegance to any setting.
- Growing & Care: Thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained soil. Tolerant of a range of soil types, including clay and dry soils once established.
- Tips for New Gardeners: Easy to grow and requires minimal maintenance. Naturalizes well in gardens or lawns, creating beautiful drifts of flowers over time. Ideal for adding interest to woodland edges or mixed borders.
Ornithogalum nutans is a perennial bulb and a member of the Asparagaceae family. It has distinctive green and gray striped bell-shaped perianth flowers of six tepals. It a native of the Balkan regions of Europe and Turkey.
Although it is an attractive ornamental plant and has even won the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom, it is considered an invasive species in ten Eastern USA states; and it is especially a pest in the Maryland area where it has out-competed many native forest species.
As with any plant that you are planning to grow in the garden you should be aware of how it may affect the local environment. Recommended alternatives that are native to the USA include Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) and Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot).
As Ornithogalum nutans a member of the Asparagus family it is closely related to Asparagus and Yucca plants.
Ornithogalum nutans Description
Common names for Ornithogalum nutans include 'Drooping' or Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem, and it can reach a height of 50–60 cm (20–24 inches), and a width of 5 cm (2 inches).
Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem picture by Jakub Hlavaty.
Plants have succulent strap-like (linear) leaves that are up to 1.5 cm wide (0.6 inches) that are grass-like.
Stems carry racemes of up to 15 Six-tepal flowers that are white with a central green stripe and about 3 cm (1.2 inches) wide.
They bloom in mid to late spring. Plants then bear ovoid fruits.
Ornithogalum nutans photograph by Leonora Enking.
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Ornithogalum nutans Growing Guide
- Members of the Ornithogalum genus are perennial bulbs, though they can also be grown from seeds.
- They are ideal for the following locations and garden types: flower borders, flower beds, under shrubs; Cottage gardens, and wild-flower meadows.
- They are hardy and can grow in zones 4 - 8 (and in growing zone 3 with mulch).
- The bulbs should be planted at a depth of 10 cm (4 inches) and 7 cm (3 inches) apart in the autumn. Seeds should first be planted in flats or containers, under a cold frame, in the spring or autumn – they will take about four years to bear flowers and a further year to reach their full height.
- The soil should be well-drained and fertile. They will grow fine in the following soil types: light, clay, chalk, sandy, loam.
- Partial shade or full sunlight.
- They are easy to care for and do not usually suffer damage from diseases or pests.
- Propagate further Ornithogalum nutans from offsets or from seed.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Ornithogalum nutans. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Brimeura, Alchemilla erythropoda, and Veltheimia plants.
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