Trientalis borealis
Star Flower
Please register or login to build your personal plant list.Petite yet stately, this spring wildflower will make an excellent addition to your woodland garden.
Description:
Petite yet stately, this spring wildflower is often overlooked by gardeners. It grows in dappled shade in moist woods, and will colonize into dry sandy open fields. Tiny white star-shaped flowers, usually only 1 or 2 per plant, bloom in May-June. This little beauty will make an excellent addition to your woodland garden, shade garden or naturalized area of your yard. Patience is required, as the seeds need to be cold stratified, and will begin germinating in the fall of the second year. Once growing, plants will continue to establish themselves in small colonies. By mid-summer the leaves yellow and senesce, leaving behind a small dried seed pod. Pair with other early spring blooming woodland plants such as Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginiana), Trout lily (Erythronium americanum), Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), Cut-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum), Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), Pink Lady Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), and Trilliums (Trillium spp.) to mimic a natural woodland in your yard.
Wildlife Value: Star Flowers are pollinated by native bees.
Plant Details:
Plant Type: Flower, Perennial
New Jersey Native: Yes
Bloom Times: Spring, Late Spring to Early Summer
Bloom Colors: White
Deer Resistance: Some
Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: Bees and Other Pollinators
Salt Tolerance: Unknown
Hardiness Zone: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Physiographic Region: All Regions in NJ
Grows in Special Ecoregions: Pinelands
Soil Characteristics
Soil Type: Loam, Organic, Sandy
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Soil pH: Acidic, Slightly Acidic, Neutral
Light Needs of Plant
Optimal Light: Partial Shade
Light Range: Full Sun, Partial Shade, Shade
Water Needs of Plant
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Size and Growth Rate
Height: .25 - .50 ft
Spread: .25 - .50 ft
Growth Rate: Slow