This plant is not really a grass but they
belong to the Lily family. Hypoxis Stargrass is an envisioning slender green
leaves with starry bright yellow flowers. Hypoxis Stargrass grows from corms
and is a common sight in the continental United States. Hypoxis Stargrass plant
is easily misidentified as a grass until the yellow stargrass flowers arrive.
Furthermore, some curious gardeners
may wonder, what is this plant? Actually the genus is Hypoxis with variety
hirsuta the most common form. Normally in their wild habitat, the yellow
stargrass flowers are found in open woodland, dry prairies and the meadow
hillsides. These plants are small yellow grass-like plants that grow only twelve
inches tall and sport ¾ inch sunny blooms from March to June. The flower stems
are three to eight inches tall and stiff, holding the cheery flowers upright.
The corms initially form short rosettes of foliage with deep green color with
fine sporadic white hairs along the surface. Blooms last about a month and then
they will form a seed pod filled with tiny black seeds.
How to grow Stargrass Wildflowers
Actually once they are ready, the little seed
pods will burst and scatter the seed. Although growing stargrass wildflowers
from seed might be a chore, as gathering the minute ripe seeds for planting may
require a magnifying glass. A more satisfying and speedy results come from
corms. These are the underground storage organs that carry the embryonic
plants. It really takes some years for seedlings to form corms large enough to
produce flowers. You can plant the corms in full to partial sun in a rich loam
to slightly dry or rocky soils. The stargrass plant prefers dry areas although
they can grow in slightly moist garden beds. The plant is also very tolerant of
a variety of soil types but the pH need to be slightly acidic. The flower is
attractive to bees and butterflies. Also mason bees, beetles and flies feed on
the pollen since the flowers do not produce nectar. Any plants that encourage
pollinators are always welcome in any landscape.
How to care for Yellow Stargrass Plant
Overwatering the stargrass plant will
really make the plant cranky. Once the plants are established, clusters of
corms and their greenery rarely need water. The plant gets the majority of
their moisture in spring and the greens tend to die back after the bloom
period. The young leaves and the stems are prey to a lot pest such as snails, slugs
and leafhoppers. Rust may form on the plant leaves and small rodents may eat
the corms. The mature clusters of the plant need to be divided every few years.
Just simply dig up the clump and separate healthy corms with good roots. You can
replant them in a temperate zones, or let them dry out and plant them in spring
where temperatures cause a hard freeze most of the winter season. The yellow
stargrass flowers tend to become invasive if they are not controlled. The yellow
stargrass plant care and management also include pulling the corms out if they
pop up in an unwanted area in the garden.
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