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Stargazer Lily– Complete Profile And Care Tips
Flowers are extremely ravishing with beautiful outlooks. I am a stan of how these flowers beautify our house by just being themselves. When it comes to decoration in any event, can we avoid the use of flowers? Of course NOT! The magnificent beauty and aura they hold are incomparable, nature is truly breathtaking.
There are endless flowers of different shapes and sizes present on the beautiful planet EARTH. We all have different favorites when it comes to flowers, one of them being “Stargazer Lily”.
These beautiful stargazers come into the category of “Oriental Hybrids”. These are bred using a selective breeding process. The groups used for breeding are L.auratum, L.japonicum, and L.speciosum. All these are eastern Asian species.
What is so special about stargazer lily? As these are part of Oriental Lillies that are known for their large flat shaped or bowl-shaped beautiful flowers. The unusual fragrance these hold makes them special. Members of this family including stargazers blooms usually from mid-summer to late summer.
Being among the most popular groups of this family, the stargazer was initially developed using a cross between two unique varieties Lilium Speciosum and Lilium Auratum back in the 1970s. The intention of this cross over between two varieties was to obtain a flower that faces upward instead of drooping flowers.
Tips of this flower are reflexed which means they usually curve back down towards the stem of the flower. The stamens are long and showy. If you are fond of fragmented flowers that possess unique fragments, you need to have your hands on stargazer lily as these are among the most fragmented flowers with a spicy kind of aroma that some people feel a bit nicer and overwhelming.
The diameter of these flowers is nearly 6 inches which indicates they are extremely showy blossoms and there is no such thing that is subtle in stargazer lily.
Another excelling and amazing feature about stargazer lily is that they are tall enough and you can plant them even in the middle or back as they will be easily evident from there beautifying your garden area. These plants also serve as a focal point. The large flowers they possess having vibrant hues of colors makes them the center of attraction and eye-catching for all the visitors.
Also, they do not need staking as they are the lilies that can be grown easily without causing much trouble and attention. Stargazer is lily is not only attractive and pleasant to our eyes, but they are also pleasant to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects that pollinate. They also make great cut flowers.
Some features of stargazer lily are summed up for your knowledge before proceeding further.
| Botanical Name | Lilium Stargazer |
| Type of plant | Perennial bulb |
| common names | Oriental Lily, stargazer lily, and stargazer |
| Size after Maturation | They are 4 feet tall and nearly spread is 1 foot |
| Type Of soil | Well draining, loamy, or moist soil type |
| Exposure to sun | Full exposure to the sun |
| Blooming time | In summer |
| pH of soil | Towards slightly acidic |
| Colors of flower | Crimson to pink color having dark spots and white edges |
| Native places | This is a hybrid, the parent species were obtained from eastern Asia. |
How To Grow A Stargazer, Lily?
These flowers bloom usually in the months of summer or fall. the length is nearly 6 inches to 8 inches inside the ground. If you are about to grow, do not place two identical plants extremely close to each other as the distance both requires is from 8 inches to 12 inches. A unique feature about stargazer lily is that all the plants of this type bloom in clusters from 6 in number to even more.
The type of soil as you have seen should be moist rather than using soli that is clay type or completely wet as using wet soil will cause the plant bulbs to rot. If you are trying to keep the soil cool or moist make sure you mulch over at the plant’s base. Unlike other plants that are tall in structure, stargazer lily can survive without staking them because of the sturdy stems they possess.
Let us go through different aspects and factors that affect the plant stargazer lily.
Light
The best growth and blooming of stargazer lily is seen when it is exposed to full sun nearly it requires 8 hours of exposure on daily basis but it can do with part shade. Most of the plants do not tolerate shade because places having shade will make the stem of stargazer lily get overly long and leggy in nature. When stem converts to leggy and overly long it requires staking regularly, which is otherwise not a headache if you keep them in sunlight or plant them outside where they are completely exposed.
Soil Type
Stargazer lily or oriental lilies including other members of this family can do extremely well when you use medium soil that has average moisture. The soil should have a pH value up to 6.8 or so which is slightly acidic and does well. Even neutral ph is good as per the growth comes into play. When the soil is slightly basic or completely neutral you may use acid fertilizers to feed the plant as it will help the plant to survive in that environment. Avoid using soil that is too moist or wet.
Water
The plant needs a uniformly moist environment to grow. But you need to make sure you are not overwatering the plant as the plant when kept in extremely moist conditions or voggy conditions it is more likely seen that the bulbs get rotted.
Whenever you feel that the soil has gotten extremely dry or is drying due to heat produced from the sun, you may water it slightly at that time and again wait for the soil to get dried. If you are wondering how much water to pour kindly note that they require nearly 1 inch watering per week which they receive through irrigation or raining. The best watering practice for stargazer lily is soaking the ground soil to a depth of 5 or 6 inches. Avoid watering them overhead as it could damage and rot the blossoms.
The soil can remain moist through mulching.
Humidity And Temperature
Stargazer lily and other lilies of this family do quite well across any climatic condition that is seen in their zone range of hardiness given that the soil conditions should remain suitable for growth. But they most probably need hot conditions to survive when there is full exposure to hot sun rays.
The maximum blooming of stargazers is witnessed in midsummers when the temperature is consistent throughout at the range of 80 degrees Fahrenheit to nearly 90-degree Fahrenheit. This is common in hardiness zones numbered 8 and 9.
Wondering when they will show the beautiful flowers and leaves? you will see them fully growing and bearing flowers that blossom beautifully along with leaves in full sun. The bulbs should be kept quite cool. The question that arises in your mind is that how do we keep the bulbs cool in the hot sun? It is easy, you can use other planters that shades the ground and cover the entire area where they are located with thick mulches. This will help the bulbs to remain cool in a hot environment.
Fertilizers To be Used
Stargazers are often heavy on feeding same as all other plants that possess large and dramatic flowers. If you want to witness the best performance by stargazer lily you may apply a generous amount of 9 or 10 fertilizers first in the early springs after you have seen that the shoots are emerging, then supplement them with slightly small feedings after every week when the growing season is running.
After you feed them make sure to water them thoroughly. When the conditions of soil they are planted in does not remain ideal, you can try and bring acidic fertilizers for feeding them, for instance, a formulation that is designed for azaleas can help the stargazer lily to survive in alkaline or neutral soil type.
Pruning
You have to deadhead every individual flower after the blooming time get’s over which means you have to cut and separate the small flower stalk that is seen separation the bloom from other parts of the lily.
Deadheading is important because it will prevent and reduces the chances of developing seed pods which is not good for the plants to grow. After all, they generally absorb the energy that is otherwise generated by the plant to be used for their bulbs.
Similar to other plants having bulbs you have to give the plant time and let it continue to stand following the blooming session as long as the green color foliage remains. After you have seen that the foliage has completely tuned its color into brown you can cut the parts to the ground levels.
How To Grow Stargazer Lily In Containers?
Sometimes when the garden areas are full and people do not have specific garden areas and own balconies, they usually use orchid pots or terra cotta pots as containers t plant their favorite flower. Similar to other flowers, stargazer lily is also grown inside the house using potting mediums.
You have to plant lilies using pots that are at least 6 to 7 inches in wideness. Use soil that is heavy and contains numerous organic materials for example the fertilizers required to grow. The ph as mentioned above should be kept slightly on the acidic side if you do not have that type of soil you can plant it in alkaline and neutral soil as well given that you have acidic fertilizers to fertilize the soil later on.
The potting soil should be heavy in contents like peat moss which is a natural acidic moss and is a great choice for your stargazer lily. You, ay use a mixture having 2 parts of peat moss, 3 parts of regular garden soil from your neighborhood, and 1 part of sand. Using this mixture makes an amazing medium for your planters to grow included potted stargazer lily.
When you grow them indoors, do not expect them to be larger as you have seen outside. They are generally smaller and will require warmer conditions for good growth which you may expect to be between 68 degrees to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. at day time and during the nights nearly 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
Place the potted lilies in as much light as you can, generally outdoors on your balcony or near your windows and doors.
If you want them to bloom as early as you want in a designated time slot, you have to give them a chilled environment for the first 12 weeks using a refrigerator or a corner in your house that’s freezing with no light. After doing so, you have to plant a stargazer lily 90 days before the time when you need it to bloom.
For instance, if you want the flower to blossom on Valentine’s day that is in February, the process of chilling by keeping them in the refrigerator should be started within September month itself. After that, you can plant the bulbs a few days before thanksgiving takes place.
If you are using the refrigerator as a medium for chilling your stargazer lily, make sure you are keeping the bulbs of plants separately from other fruits and vegetables present in the refrigerator recks. These are off-gas substances and can affect the growth of your stargazer lily.
Propagation Of Stargazer Lily
Like other lily plants, stargazer lilies also generate tiny bulblets that are attached to the main parent bulb offshoot. These can be separated or broken off from the main or parent plant. You can replant these tiny bulblets to produce more plants out of a single bulb. This is one method of propagation of these lilies, other method involves propagating by breaking the individual scaled segments broken from the main or parent plant and then plating it somewhere else.
Do not expect the plant to grow within a few days or weeks. It may take several years for the bullets to be replanted and become as large as the parent plant to blossom fully. If you want to increase or speed up their growth process you have to diligently take care of the plant’s needs including type of soil and water along with acidic fertilizers to escalate growth.
As you already know by now that stargazer lilies are hybrid flowers which makes them a little bit more temperament and they often reproduce less vigorously as compared to other Lillies and varieties present in that family.
Is Stargazer Lily A Toxic Plant?
While going through the information and frequently asked questions regarding stargazer Lilly, one of the most asked questions was about their toxicity. You should know that many varieties of these beautiful flower bearing Lillies are often toxic to cats but these are harmless to human races and your pet dogs. If you have a cat in your house make sure it does not go near and consume even two or three leaves of this plant as the effect will be fatal to their liver and kidney functioning.
Do not grow the plant inside your house in pots if you have cats in your house as pets. If you have come across any such conditions where your cat has consumed few leaves of stargazer lily, make sure you rush to the animal doctor as the stomach will be flush to remove them which may follow IV fluids.
Common Diseases And Pests
Stargazer lily is usually free from any sort of pest, but it may show potential diseases like bulb rot, lily mosaic virus, botrytis which is a fungal disease, etc. If you have seen any signs of the above-mentioned symptoms of diseases make sure to remove the plant from a bunch of other plants nearby and destroy it as soon as possible.
Different Types Of Stargazer Lillies
Stargazer lily has many beautiful varieties you will be attracted towards. Talking about the names, they might vary depending upon the company that sells them, however, to differentiate various types, you can broadly understand their classification based on 3 categories. These include:
Pink Stargazers
This is a well-known variety of stargazer lily and has dark pink to red colors having brown colored or rose-colored spots on them. The edges are white. They are capable of enduring in zones 3 to 8. The flowering period is seen in early summers or midsummers. They are fairly compact and they grow to nearly about 30 inches. This variety of stargazer lily can tolerate shade up to some extent.
White stargazers
Ther are characterized by having very showy and large blooms along with beautiful petals that usually curl back along with the tips of flowers. They may be great if the climatic conditions are warmer which means the zone is 10. They will need full sun to show their tremendous and alluring growth of nearly 48 inches in size. The flowering season is from mid summers till the late summers.
Golden Stargazers
This one is a new category than the previous two. It is a hybrid generated by crossing two beautiful varieties of trumpet lilies and oriental lilies. They are extremely beautiful to watch having red sports present in deep yellow blooms. The petals are similar to the previous one as they curl back to the tips. They grow quite well in full sun and part shade too. The expected size is 4 feet tall and you can expect the flowering in midsummers. The hardy zones it is best includes zone 3 to zone 9.
How Are Stargazer Lillies Different From Other Hybrid Lillies?
In addition to this beautiful hybrid stargazer Lilly, the researchers can generate other oriental Lilly hybrids that are equally beautiful but has some differences from the stargazer lily hybrid. Let’s see what are they.
The Black Beauty Hybrid
It has a color ranging from dark raspberry to a darker red color. Their height is nearly 4 inches to 7 inches which is less compared to stargazer lily. Their spread in the ground is nearly 2 feet with hardy zones between 3 to 8 zone.
The Casa Blanca Hybrid
Casa Blanca Hybrid generates beautiful white flowers and the length is 3 feet to 4 feet tall. Their spread in the ground is only 1 foot wide and the zones they grow in are 5 to zone 8.
The Mona Lisa Hybrid
They are the most similar variant to stargazer lily having similar flowers just the difference is that they lack white color. The length is 16 inches to 18 inches in height and their spread in-ground is either 1 foot or less than that. The zones required for growth are zone 3 to zone 9.
This was all the information and profile on exquisite and beautiful hybrid stargazer Lilly. Similar to stargazer Lilly, another beautiful indoor plant that purifies the air is the whale fin plant and peperomia plant, if you wish to know about its growth and care tips, visit the articles and get all the needed information.
