Bulb · Asparagaceae
Star of Bethlehem
Ornithogalum umbellatum
A laid-back spring bulb with white star flowers that nap at noon, easy to grow but toxic, so it's worth handling with care.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 4–9
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
So here's the deal with star of Bethlehem: it's a little spring bulb that opens white, star-shaped flowers with a green stripe running down the back. They've got a funny habit, too. The flowers open up around midday and close again by late afternoon or when it clouds over, which is exactly where that old nickname nap-at-noon comes from. Grassy leaves show up first, and then the flowers ride low over them come late spring.
It's part of the asparagus family, and it grows from a bulb that keeps cranking out offset bulblets like it's got somewhere to be. That's great if you want a plant that basically refuses to die, but it also means a neat little clump can wander off into the lawn if you're not paying attention. Across a lot of the northern United States it's already slipped out of gardens and into pastures and turf, where folks treat it as a weed.
Here's the catch, though: the whole plant is poisonous. Every part has cardiac glycosides in it, and the bulb has the most, so it can hurt pets, livestock, and people. Want to grow it for the flowers? Go ahead, but put it somewhere kids and animals can't get to it, and throw on some gloves whenever you're digging around.
Care
The short version: pop the bulbs in the ground in fall in moist, well-drained soil with full sun to part shade, keep them watered while they grow and bloom in spring, and then just let them dry out and die back over summer.
Light
Give it full sun if you can, since that's when you'll get the best flowers. That said, it's totally fine in partial sun or a bit of light shade, and it'll put up with around 25 percent shade without complaining. A spot under deciduous trees works great, because the bulb does its growing early, before the leaves up top fill in.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while it's growing and blooming in spring, watering roughly every 5 to 10 days whenever the rain doesn't show up. Once it's settled in, it handles summer drought just fine, so no need to hover. The one thing it really can't stand is wet ground after the foliage goes dormant in late summer.
Soil
Plant it in moist, fertile, well-drained loam with a good bit of organic matter mixed in. It's not picky about pH and does fine anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5, so don't stress over that. Drainage is what really counts, way more than how rich the soil is, because standing water is what rots the bulb.
Temperature
This is a seriously tough, cold-hardy bulb. It takes winter down to about 5°F (-15°C) and summer heat up to around 86°F (30°C) without much fuss. The bulb just waits out the cold underground and gets going again once spring warms the soil up.
Humidity
Humidity? Don't even think about it. Regular outdoor air is all it wants, so there's no number to worry about, and what actually matters is drainage down at the roots, not moisture up in the air.
Feeding
It barely eats, honestly. Mix a little balanced bulb fertilizer or compost into the bed when you plant, give it a light feed in early spring as it wakes up, and then leave it alone, because rich soil just encourages it to spread faster.
Pruning
Let the leaves die back on their own after the flowers fade, since that's how the bulb recharges for next year. Snip off the spent flower stalks to cut back on self-seeding, and pull on gloves before you do, because the sap can irritate your skin.
Repotting
Every 3 to 4 years, once the clumps get crowded, dig them up and split them. How do you know it's time? Flowering starts to fade, bulbs push up toward the surface, and you'll see a bunch of little bulblets crowding in around the parent.
Size & spacing
These stay pretty short, only 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall, so they won't take over the view. Each clump spreads 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) wide though, and it keeps on widening. So give it some elbow room, or better yet a contained bed, and it won't crowd out its neighbors.
When to plant
The timing's pretty forgiving here. Get the dormant bulbs in the ground in September or October, let them sit tight all winter, and they'll push up leaves and then white flowers from May into June. Once the flowers are done, the foliage yellows and the plant takes it easy through summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: not typically started indoors; plant dormant bulbs directly
- Plant: fall (September to October)
- Harvest: late spring to early summer (May to June)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Good news first: this bulb is really tough to kill. So its two real headaches actually pull in opposite directions, if you can believe it. It rots in soggy ground, but it spreads way too easily everywhere else. Find whatever's happening below and jump on it early, before a wet bulb goes bad or a stray bulblet kicks off a whole colony.
Mushy bulbs that just won't sprout
If your bulbs go soft and never come up, that's bulb rot, and it happens when the soil stays too wet. Usually it's waterlogged ground, or heavy moisture while the bulb's resting through summer, that's behind it. Here's the fix: dig up any bulb you're suspicious of, feel for soft, foul-smelling tissue, toss the ones that have turned, and replant the firm white bulbs somewhere with better drainage.
Fix:
- Lift and discard affected bulbs
- Improve drainage by amending with grit or organic matter or move to a raised, better-drained site
- Replant healthy firm bulbs in well-drained soil
Green patches sneaking into the lawn and beds
This one's all about offset bulblets, which the plant makes a ton of around each parent bulb, and it'll happily jump the bed to take over lawns and pastures. Dig the whole clump and pick out every little bulblet before it breaks loose, then bag it all up instead of composting. You'll have to repeat the dig for a few seasons, because whatever you miss just comes right back.
Fix:
- Dig out clumps removing all bulblets before they detach
- Bag and dispose of dug bulbs rather than composting
- Repeat removal over several seasons as missed bulblets resprout
Toxicity
Let's not sugarcoat this one: it's a poison, not a pretty little wildflower to nibble. Every part carries cardiac glycosides, and the bulb packs the most, so it can make cats, dogs, horses, and livestock sick, and it's rough on people too. Nothing on it is food. Even the water from a vase of cut stems has been linked to poisoning, so keep it away from anyone who might try a taste.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Severe
A cat that chews on any part will usually start drooling and throwing up, lose interest in food, and get diarrhea. The bulb's the real worry, though, since that's where the glycosides are strongest, and a bigger bite can mess with the heart rhythm and leave a cat weak or even collapsed.
Dogs Severe
Dogs that dig up and gnaw the bulbs are the ones most at risk here. Keep an eye out for drooling, no appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea, and if you spot any staggering, weakness, or an irregular heartbeat, treat it as an emergency and get to a vet.
Horses Severe
A horse grazing on it might drool a lot and show colic-like belly pain, diarrhea, and muscle tremors. As the toxin builds up, the heartbeat turns fast and erratic, and that's really where the danger is, so it's best to keep horses away from any patch.
Rabbits Severe
This is no safe snack for a rabbit, thanks to those same cardiac glycosides. Look for an upset gut and a flat-out refusal to eat, and remember that enough of the bulb can throw off the heart, so keep the plant way out of reach.
Livestock Severe
Cattle, sheep, and goats often show signs within a few hours, starting with drooling, diarrhea, and belly pain. Once the heart rate and rhythm start slipping, things get serious fast, and grazing enough bulbs can actually be deadly.
Birds Severe
Birds aren't off the hook with these cardiac toxins either. A backyard flock or a pet bird that pecks at the foliage or bulbs can end up with an upset gut and that same dangerous strain on the heart, so fence them off from any patch.
People Caution
None of this plant is food, and kids are the ones to watch closest. Swallowing leaves, flowers, or especially a bulb can bring on vomiting and, in bigger amounts, the same heart-rhythm trouble that hits pets, so treat it like a poison and wash your hands after you touch the sap.
Keep bulbs and plants away from pets and children; wear gloves when handling as the sap can irritate skin. Even vase water from cut stems has been implicated in poisoning.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
There isn't much of a lineup of named types to sort through here, which honestly keeps life simple. What you'll grow in the garden is basically just the wild species itself.
Ornithogalum umbellatum (species)
The wild species you'll actually grow has white, star-shaped flowers striped green on the back that open around midday and close by late afternoon or when it's cloudy, which is how it picked up the name nap-at-noon.
How to propagate
Want more of it? That's the easy part. The bulb pretty much handles it for you, splitting off fresh offsets every single year.
Offsets & pupsEasy
After foliage dies back in summer or in early fall when dormant · Blooms the following spring once replanted
The easiest route by far is offsets. Once the foliage has died back in summer or early fall, dig up a clump, twist the little bulblets off the parent, and replant them about 2 to 3 inches deep. Each one'll flower for you the very next spring, so you don't wait long at all.
DivisionEasy
Summer dormancy after foliage yellows · One growing season
Division's just as simple. Wait until the leaves yellow during summer dormancy, then dig up and split any clump that's gotten crowded, which thins it out and gives you more plants at the same time. The divisions settle in within a single growing season, and the plant keeps spreading on its own anyway.
SeedModerate
Sow ripe seed in fall · Several years to flowering
Seed is the slow lane, no way around it. You can sow ripe seed in fall if you're curious, but the seedlings just creep along and take several years to flower, which is why almost all the spread comes from bulblets instead of seed.
Myths
Star of Bethlehem is barely toxic and won't do more than upset your stomach.
Every part of the plant has cardiac glycosides in it, and the bulb is easily the strongest. Sure, a tiny nibble might stop at a stomachache, but a real dose can throw the heart into the same dangerous rhythm trouble that foxglove causes. Treat it as genuinely poisonous, not some minor tummy ache.
It's a harmless wildflower that naturalizes nicely and is fine to plant anywhere.
It throws off offset bulblets fast, slips right out of the garden, and turns into a weed of lawns, pastures, and turf. Alabama even lists it as a Class C noxious weed. Only plant it where you can keep it contained, if you plant it at all.