Plant ‘Alberto Castillo’ Starflower in Bulb Lawns and Woodland Gardens
‘Alberto Castillo’ starflower is an easy-to-grow spring-blooming bulb that brings bright white flowers to shade gardens and lawns
’Alberto Castillo’ starflower is a cultivar of Ipheion uniflorum, a South American bulb that blooms in spring in North American gardens. It has larger flowers than the straight species and forms a more sizable clump of foliage. Hardy in winters as cold as USDA Zone 5, this easy-to-grow bulb boasts large, pure white flowers that mix well with grape hyacinths (Muscari), dwarf daffodils (Narcissus) and other small spring-blooming bulbs. Its grassy foliage and willingness to spread make it a good choice for planting in a lawn. ’Alberto Castillo’ starflower also fits well at the edges of woodland gardens, where it can enjoy spring sunshine before the trees fully leaf out.
Common name: ’Alberto Castillo’ starflower
Botanical name: Ipheion uniflorum ’Alberto Castillo’, syn.Triteleia uniflora 'Alberto Castillo'
Origin: The species Ipheion uniflorum is native to Argentina and Uruguay. The cultivar ‘Alberto Castillo’ was found growing in a Buenos Aires garden in the early 1980s. It was named for the man who discovered it.
Flowers: Sweetly scented white flowers with six overlapping petals appear on upright stems from mid- to late spring. Each bulb produces multiple flowers.
Foliage: Grasslike and medium green, with a garlic scent when crushed. On established bulbs, the leaves emerge in fall, persist over the winter and then die back in early summer.
Size and habit: The foliage creates a clump roughly four inches tall and wide. Flowers add another three or four inches of height.
Growing ‘Alberto Castillo’ starflower
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
How to grow it: Plant bulbs in fall, setting them four inches deep and four inches apart. This plant prefers full sun or the partial shade of a deciduous woodland garden. It is adaptable to different soil types but performs best with good drainage. Tolerates dry summer conditions. Allow the foliage to die back naturally in early summer before removing it. (If you choose to plant this bulb in a lawn, its life cycle will delay mowing.) It can naturalize by offsets and/or seed, but it is not considered invasive or aggressive. USDA Zones 5–10.
