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Gardens are fascinating places at the best of times but having a selection of star shaped flowers just adds to the enchantment of a garden in bloom. With star shaped plants you never have to worry if they blend in with other plants because they always work well with other blooms. They create an attractive flower bed that gets noticed right away. Many star shaped flowers are delightfully fragrant, and you will notice then particularly well in the early evenings. Star Jasmine and Hyacinth Blue Stars are two well-known star shaped flowers which give off the most amazing perfume, not to mention looking spectacular. Don’t think that you have to have a garden to be able to enjoy star shaped flowers because there are many which can be grown in pots and placed on a windowsill or patio area. Many star shaped plants grow to between 4” and 18” tall so you can use smaller or larger pots, depending on the size of space you have available. There is also a good selection which are suitable for planting in borders. Let’s look at the top 10 star shaped flowers for your garden, you are bound to find several that are suitable for your special space. Our Top 10 Star Flowers for Your Garden 1) Borage (Borago officinalis) 2) Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum) 3) Starflower (Trientalis borealis) 4) Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) 5) Dahlias 6) Hyacinth Blue Star 7) Impala Lily (Adenium obesum) 8) Bellflower (Campanula) 9) Bromeliad 10) Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum dubium) Our Top 10 Star Flowers for Your Garden 1) Borage (Borago officinalis) This star flower is a flowering plant from the family Boraginaceae and is also an annual herb. The plant was first found to be prevalent in the Mediterranean area although it grows well all over Europe. It will even do well in the UK. It is one plant that will self-seed so you will have it appearing again for many years. The leaves are edible, and the plant will grow to about 100 cm. The flowers are mostly blue although you will see pink occasionally. Where climate conditions are mild Borage will flourish and you will have continuous blooms for the entire year. The herb is often used in salads as a garnish and has a sweetish taste, similar to honey. Because of the amount of nectar that the plants produce, you can expect to see plenty of bees around the blooms. Borage may also benefit you directly! That is because some studies have shown that the star flower oil obtained from this plant may help reduce the pain in arthritis and help people with eczema. Of course, always check with your doctor first before trialling anything new medically. Get Your Borage Seeds Here! 2) Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum) This plant is native to Argentina although it is now cultivated in Europe, the UK and even as far afield as Australia. Another name for this is the Mexican Star. This easy to grow plant starts off as a bulb and produces flat, green, leaves up to 30cm long. From the leaves you will see stems growing to about 20cm. The stem produces a single flower in the spring. I never knew this interesting fact until I researched the name – uniflorum means ‘single flower.’ Each star shaped flower has six pointed petals which grow to about 3cm in length. The colours range from very pale to deep purple and the smell will remind you of honey. These plants prefer sun and partial shade and they self-seed. You can also propagate them by separating the bulbs. The plant will spread by itself if you leave it alone and undisturbed and they are great for growing in lawns. 3) Starflower (Trientalis borealis) This plant is part of the Primrose family. Here’s an interesting point about the Latin name. Trientalis means ‘one third of a foot’ and that’s about the size of the full-grown plant. You will find starflowers noted as one of the common wildflowers in the eastern parts of the USA and they bloom from the middle of spring to early summer. The flowers are pure white with between 5 – 9 petals on each and around 1cm in diameter. These plants prefer moist areas although you will also be able to grow them in dry and sandy soils. What is great about these smaller plants is that they need very little maintenance once they are established. They will go dormant and seem to die until the spring when they generate new growth. You can either germinate the seeds or buy rhizomes from a garden centre to start them off. The flowers are a delicate light pink. The first three star shaped flowers may not have been familiar to you, so let’s look at some others which you may well know of or have seen in gardens. If you're enjoying this article, check out our article on 10 flowers that look like peonies that are just as pretty. 4) Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) This is one of the latest additions to my own garden and I love it! The little buds start out light purple and then turn white when they are open. They are around 2” across when open and the best time to appreciate them is in the early evenings when the perfume just fills the air. Mine are only about 4’ in length along the fence but they can grow up to 20’. If you prefer Jasmine as a shrub you can prune it back and keep it smaller with no ill effects to the plant. You can grow jasmine in containers, but it will need to be staked. It seems to do really well growing in with a hedge and along fences. Jasmine needs full sunlight to be at its best and if you plant it in a container, make sure that it drains well. Get Your Star Jasmine Plant Here! 5) Dahlias This is another plant that I grew up with. My dad grew the most amazing Dahlias and they lasted for ages in vases. They have a very long flowering season, which makes them great for flower arrangements towards the end of summer when other plants are dying off. Dahlias will in fact, keep flowering until the first frost gets them. They need well fertilised soil and a sunny, sheltered place to be happy. These plants are very hardy and come in a great variety of shapes and colours. You can even get bi and tri-colour flowers now. For a true star shaped form try a variety such as ‘Honka’. Dahlias are both small and large, with some being as short as 4” and others taller up to 2’. The taller plants will need to be staked. If you plan on growing Dahlias you will be pleased to know that they are not ‘fussy’ plants. As long as the soil is decent and well-drained, they are happy in either full sun or a sheltered place. Pots and containers need to be well draining. Propagating Dahlias is easy. You can easily divide the tubers once they start to produce shots. Just make sure that each piece has a shoot on it, plant it and leave nature to do the rest. 6) Hyacinth Blue Star If you love star shaped flowers then you will love these! They produce absolutely wonderful pale blue flowers, with a most amazing smell. Hyacinth Blue Star are perfect for growing in the garden or in pots. They make great gifts for Christmas, that’s where people may first get to see them and want to try growing them. The hyacinth blooms early in Spring, in fact it is classed as one of the hardiest spring flowering bulbs. If you live in a hot climate you will need to place them in the fridge for six weeks before you plant them out. If you want your Hyacinth to bloom for longer then place in full sun to partial shade. You can grow them inside – most people have them growing in a vase. Hyacinths grow well in borders, but I think they look even better planted all together in the ground or in a container. This way you have a mass of blue star flowers, which is absolutely beautiful. While blue is the most common colour, you can also get them in white, yellow and reds. 7) Impala Lily (Adenium obesum) You may know these star shaped flowers as Desert Rose and Mock Azalea. They are perennials, evergreen, and drought resistant. Lilies can grow up to 2 metres in height and will produce clusters of green leaves with plenty of flowers all year round. You will find lilies in different colours. The most common colour is white but pink and red are also lovely. Ideally they should be grown on a slope with well-drained soil. They do well in sunny places with minimum water requirements. Lilies are also extremely popular as houseplants and can easily be grown in containers. Place them in a sunny spot in a large pot as they do not appreciate cramped roots. One thing that is important with potted lilies is the drainage. Make sure that you place stones at the base so that excess water can drain away. 8) Bellflower (Campanula) Campanula is the Latin name for ‘little bells’ and this is exactly what the flowers look like on this plant. There are more than 500 species along with many sub species in this category and you will find them flowering in temperate and subtropical areas, mostly in the northern hemisphere. You may also know them as Harebell in the UK, and Bluebell in Scotland and Ireland. They are very popular in gardens in the British Isles. Some Bellflowers are annual and others biannual and perennial, and they vary from tiny dwarf varieties to some that grow up to 2 metres high. Naturally, the growing conditions dictate the size of the plant, but as a rule, in colder climates the plants will be smaller. The star shaped flowers grow with five points and are mostly purple/blue. Occasionally you will find white or pink flowers. If you are interested in Garden Shows then be sure to visit the National Collection of Campanulas which takes place at Burton Agnus Hall (East Yorks) every year. You may also like: What flowers only bloom once a year & once every 100 years. 9) Bromeliad This family has more than 3500 known species and were first found in American subtropics. Bromeliad is a little like Marmite in that you either love them or do not! I think they are great and a super addition to the garden anywhere. The biggest Bromeliad (Puya Raimondii) grows to 4 metres tall and will produce a flower spike up anywhere up to 10 metres high. More common are smaller ones for gardens. They are a low-maintenance plant as they can store their own water in the middle, where you will find overlapping leaves which hold the water. The leaves can range in shape from spiky, soft, tall, broad, flat, and symmetrical while the colours can be anything between maroon, gold, and green. You may even sometimes find spotted flowers or purple, red, and cream. Because these plants are more succulent than others they prefer sunlight and partial shade, rather than complete shade. Bromeliads do well in well-drained pots and any offshoots can simply be chopped off and re-potted. Get Your Bromeliad Plant Here! 10) Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum dubium) Originally this plant hailed from South Africa. It is orange in colour and considered hardy. The clusters of orange star shaped flowers are simply beautiful, and you may also know it as the ‘Orange Star’ plant. These plants do best if they are gown indoors although is a well sheltered spot they can grow outdoors. This plant likes to be deeply watered to a depth of about 2” when the soil is dry. It is perennial and will flower late spring to early summer. An interesting thing to see is that the foliage fades as the flowers open. This is not a sign that it needs extra water. You only need to water it once or twice each week during the hot months. It will need less water as the temperatures drop and in winter will only need water when the leaves begin to wilt. Final Thoughts: Top 10 Star Shaped Flowers for Your Garden All these top ten star shaped flowers are relatively easy to grow, even for a novice gardener. If you pay attention to the type of drainage that the plant needs, and the frequency of watering there is no reason why your garden should not be a blaze of glory in spring and summer. Your garden centre will also be able to advise you of the best star shaped plants for any area you want to fill and you may – like me – find that your local garden centre becomes your most favourite place to visit! Before you go, here are some more related articles I encourage you to read below to help solve more of your gardening issues: Why Does My Hydrangea Have Small Flowers 15 Best Flowers for a Beautiful Front Yard & How to Plant Them Are Blue Orchid Flowers Real Written by: Valerie Holyoak