Orange Star Flower

~ Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?~
Information on this plant is lacking so I shall share what I've discovered myself!
This is the Chesapeake Series Star of Bethlehem. Botanical name: Ornithogalum Chesapeake Sunset. Also in this series are the Chesapeake Blaze, and the Chesapeake Sunburst. They are truly beautiful flowers! This is my second year having them around, but these pictures are from this year, as I couldn't find my last years pictures upon lots of searching. They were designed to be container plants. They are generally kept as an indoor house plant although I've read about incidences where they can be kept outdoors over winter - in zones 9 and 10. They do not like frost! They also like to be below temperatures of 90 degrees, anything above that will cause them to become dormant. Preferably a temperature between 65 and 75 would be best. They like bright indirect sunlight, so something just short of full sun. I had/have mine indoors in a window shaded with blinds. (mine is dormant already this year, hence this post -it's me living vicariously through these pictures) and I might go buy another one too. =) I took a few photos to see the different views of the plant, rather than just seeing the blooms in the first picture which is my favorite. I just thought I'd show the full plant in case anyone was interested. Flowers should be pinched off at the base of the stem when spent. This will give the plant the ability to work on giving energy to those flowers that are still healthy, rather than wasting energy trying to help the dying flower. (I tried to word that in a non botanical way considering I'm not a botanist) - though I wish I was!

This year I had a long leaning stem as you can see in the background here. They are supposed to grow about 8-12 inches in height. I'd say that stem was about 10 inches maybe. I speak in past tense because mine has already died off this year. It's a perennial so if cared for right, you can enjoy this year after year. It first blooms in spring (or summer depending) and then dies back. Once the flowers on the whole stem are spent, stems should be cut back, and the stalks and leaves left until they are turning brownish, then you can stop watering and let them become dormant. Don't be sad that your plant didn't last as long as you expected. This is normal. It can produce stems for several months, but individual stems last only about 3-4 weeks. I just dug up my bulbs and am going to let them dry out. I haven't done this before, so it will be an experiment for me. And I plan to replant them next spring early. Perhaps outside! If I'm digging up bulbs anyway, why not plant outside? - after ALL danger of frost that is.

It's a breathtaking display, that's for sure!