All About Brodiaea Plants

• Written by Holly Hughes on July 08, 2022

Brodiaea, Queen Fabiola, Tritelia, triplet lily, Ithuriel’s spear. Call it what you want but this elegant perennial flower that is characterized by star-shaped blooms in shocking colors of blue, violet, and white, are a gardener’s dream.

Want to know why? Keep reading! Here’s everything you need to know about Brodiaea plants so you too can not only fall in love with these native delights but can add them to your garden immediately!

What is Brodiaea?

Perhaps the first and most important thing to know about these unusual and often unknown perennials is the immense variety of species and name within the genus. Better than this, these different species carry many funny and interesting names. These include Firecracker flower, Blue-dicks, Grassnut, Clusterlily, and Ithuriel’s spear.

We love interesting and funny plant names at TopFlowerDelivery. If you’d also like to be tickled by the funny names of plants, we’ve collected a few of our favorites here.

Brodiaea’s most popular names include triplet lily, ‘Queen Fabiola’, and Triteleia ‘Queen Fabiola’. It is a perennial flowering plant that is native to the Americas – particularly prairies and undergrowth.

It is fairly hardy in most growing zones despite the delicate appearance of its violet, blue, and white star-shaped flowers. It is these flowers that make triplet lilies stand out so much. Growing in clusters of a dozen to twenty tubular blooms, Brodiaea flowers burst forth almost like trumpets in a swathe of violets, blues and whites, atop basal foliage.

These blue-veined flowers are fantastic pollinators, attracting butterflies and bees throughout their flowering periods. So, not only are they a great native plant to add to your garden, they are equally wonderful for biodiversity.

A great option for border beds or rockeries, Brodiaea work well when combined with other perennials such as ranunculus. Read our guide to growing ranunculushere.

Where should you plant Triteleia Queen Fabiola?

Triteleia Queen Fabiola makes for a great border plant. Brodiaea adds a low-maintenance but elegant burst of color to a mixed border and is a fun way to enhance your border shrubbery with a pop of vitality.

Find out more about the best plants for borders and the best bushes for privacy, screening, and protection for a front yardhere.

What growing conditions does Brodiaea need?

Brodiaea requires a few simple growing conditions in order to properly thrive. It flourishes most successfully in USDA hardiness zones 6-10.

In terms of sunlight, Brodiaeas do best in full sun though they can tolerate partial shade.

In terms of soil, Brodiaea loves well-draining, fertile soil but is not fussy on soil type. Sandy or gritty soil that won’t get waterlogged is preferable. This is why they work so well in rock gardens. While the soil should be moist during springtime, you want to keep your soil dry for Brodiaea in the summer and fall.

How to water Brodiaea

Finally, in terms of watering, Brodiaea requires consistent water throughout the growing season. Once it has finished flowering, stop watering and leave it to die back during its dormant period (this occurs from summer into fall).

How you water Brodiaea is also important. Be sure to water quite low to the ground as Brodiaea’s leaves are quite delicate and can rot if overwatered.

When to plant Brodiaea

You can plant Brodiaea in the fall in hardiness zones 7-9 alongside other springtime bulbs such as crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and muscari. If growing Brodiaea in zone 7, be sure to add a layer of mulch to insulate your plants over wintertime.

When does Fabiola come out?

After planting, you can expect to see Brodiaea Queen Fabiola blooming from June right through to July.

However, even before this happens, you can enjoy the grass-like foliage of Brodiaea popping up in spring before eventually being usurped by its blue, lavender, and white star-shaped flowers.

Individual flowers will open consistently for at least a month and often even longer which makes them bloom longer than some perennials. It’s also why Brodiaea are such a fantastic cut flower to include in a summer bouquet.

When cut, Brodiaeas can have a vase life of 10 days or more, making them one of the longest-lasting fresh flowers. To find other flowers that last long when cut, read ourguide to the most durable fresh flowers to find the perfect pairing for your Brodiaea.

Related Post: How to make your fresh cut flowers last longer

See if you can find Bordiaea in your favorite online flower delivery service like EnjoyFlowers, SendFlowers or even subscription services like BloomsyBox. After all, considering blue flowers carry such symbolic meaning, including them in a bouquet can add extra depth and intrigue to any arrangement.

As you can see, Brodiaea plants are not only easy perennials to grow, they offer stunning, long-lasting blooms that can grow in even difficult soil. Experience the joy of this plant for yourself by planting some in your rock garden, border bed, or balcony planters today. We guarantee you won’t regret it!