Ipheion Uniflorum - Spring Starflower - ORG

The name Ipheion uniflorum may seem complicated, but the plant itself is anything but. One little flower per stem — that is what ‘uniflorum’ means — but those stems appear one after the other for weeks on end. Not a single big burst of flowering and then it’s over, but a gentle, steady stream of purple-blue little stars from April right into June. A true continuous-flowering plant, and that’s rarer than you might think.

A distant cousin of the ornamental onion

Botanically speaking, Ipheion belongs to the ornamental onion family (Allium). You’ll notice this if you rub a leaf between your fingers: a light, garlic-like scent — not overpowering, just there. The flowers themselves, on the other hand, have a sweet, light scent, like a small wildflower. In the garden, the Ipheion behaves like a true naturaliser: once planted, it gradually propagates via bulbils and seed, growing slightly larger and more abundant each year.

Planting and combining

Plant the bulbs in autumn at a depth of approximately 5–8 cm, in full sun or partial shade. Ipheion is not fussy about soil type and thrives in borders, amongst grass, in rockeries or in pots. It combines beautifully with Muscari, Puschkinia or Scilla for a long-lasting and varied display of blue. Organically grown, certified NL-BIO-01.