Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola'
Triteleia laxa 'Queen Fabiola' · Asparagaceae
Loose clusters of violet-blue, upward-facing funnels on thin, wiry stems in early summer, after the spring bulbs have finished. A native of California.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 4 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to early July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around triteleia 'Queen Fabiola'
The planner designed this bed around triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Common thyme × 8, lavender
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 29, pink
- 3 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' × 7, blue
- 7 Tulip 'Fusilier' × 8, red
Why this plant
- The only blue.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it is the step between common thyme (10 in) in front and wild quinine (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 7 plants in one handful. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid June to early July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With common thyme and wild quinine in late June: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height from late June, with 3 kinds out together. Sedum 'Lidakense' is planted in 8 places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
It fills the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials. The bulbs want to be dry in summer, so grow it with lavender and other plants that are not watered.
- Blue for early summer
- Cut flowers
- Dry, sunny beds and gravel gardens
What to plant with triteleia 'Queen Fabiola'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Yarrow 'Moonshine': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for four weeks; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for three weeks, from late June; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about triteleia 'Queen Fabiola'
Does triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' need sun or shade?
Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to early July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 6 | Mid June to early July |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 8 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 9 | Late May to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' be planted?
3 in (8 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 in (10 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' plants do I need?
At 3 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 168 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 39 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 536 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used seven in one group.
Is triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat triteleia 'Queen Fabiola'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide triteleia 'Queen Fabiola''s leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' look like in winter?
Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 4 in (10 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 in (8 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid June to early July; flat plates; blue
- Leaves
- Fine texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Comes from
- Northern California
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.