How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Blue Star Creeper

Are you thinking about ditching your lawn and going with a more exciting ground cover? Blue star creeper is a tempting lawn alternative, but you might need to learn precisely how to grow and care for it.

Well, we’ve got the answers to your questions. First thing first: blue star creeper is super easy to plant and maintain. Botanically known as Isotoma fluviatilis, it’s a popular cover to work into an ornamental landscape.

Being a low but fast-growing plant, blue star develops into a mass of deep green leaves with delicate creeping stems. They remain evergreen throughout the year.

To learn how to plant blue star creeper and care for it in your landscape, read our complete guide.

Blue Star Creeper Plant Overview

Plant Type Ground Cover Family Campanulaceae Genus Isotoma Species Isotoma fluviatilis previously Laurentia fluviatilis	Native Area Australia (New South Wales) Exposure Full sun to partial shade Height 2-15” Watering Requirements Regular	Pests & Diseases Slugs, snails, damping off, leaf spot Maintenance Low Soil Type Well-draining Hardiness Zone 6-8

What is Blue Star Creeper?

Isotoma fluviatilis is a perennial herb that forms a low-growing mat. Blue stars is a ground cover with blue flowers. It’s ideal for planting between paving stones, in the rock garden, or as an alternative for the lawn.

Native Area

Isotoma fluviatilis was discovered by Robert Brown in 1810 and was classified as Isotoma by George Bentham in 1864. The blue star creeper plant originated in Australia, specifically New South Wales, where it grows in riparian areas or along streams and seepage regions.

Characteristics

In the southern hemisphere, it blooms in the summer growing season from November through March. It blooms in the growing season from May through July in the northern hemisphere. It spreads via stolons that develop under the earth.

The blue star creeper is very hardy in zones 6 through 8, and can become an issue in certain areas. It’s not classed as invasive, but it gets aggressive at points and can be difficult to remove. It tolerates moderate foot traffic, and therefore can be planted in areas where people will be.

Plant this lovely ground cover in between stepping stones, and in shadier parts of the garden in hot areas. You can also grow it alongside creeks and streams, where it will grow and spread. Be careful not to plant it near slower-growing plants, which it can smother.

Varieties

There are three sub-species of the blue star creeper plant you might want to try. They mainly differ in their leaf shapes and sizes.

Isotoma fluviatilis subsp. australis

Isotoma fluviatilis subsp. australis, features small, five-petaled, star-shaped flowers in shades of soft blue, with some specimens occasionally displaying pink hues. The flowers bloom throughout spring and summer, adding a gentle color to gardens and landscapes. The flowers sit atop slender pedicels that can reach up to two inches in length. Inside, the corolla and lobes are lightly hairy, while the ovary is smooth.

Isotoma fluviatilis subsp. borealis

This subspecies is similar to australis but with subtle distinctions in morphology. It features delicate, star-shaped, light blue flowers with five petals appearing from spring through summer. Its bright green, oval-to-lance-shaped leaves are slightly longer than those of australis. Flower stems, or pedicels, extend up to one and a half inches, bearing blooms that are subtly hairy inside, with a smooth (glabrous) ovary.

Isotoma fluviatilis subsp. fluviatilis

This is the most common form of blue star creeper. It produces delicate, pale blue to lavender, star-shaped flowers with five petals that bloom from late spring to early fall. Its small, oval leaves are are bright green providing a vibrant contrast to the soft flowers. The female flower has a corolla and anthers which are pale and small without pollen. The stems that hold the flowers, or pedicels, can range up to two inches in length.

Planting

Start by selecting a suitable location, such as between paving stones, in rock gardens, or along garden paths. Prepare the soil by loosening it to a depth of about two to three inches to ensure good root penetration. If the soil is heavy or poorly drained, amend it with organic matter to improve drainage.

Space the plants about six to twelve inches apart to allow them to spread and form a dense mat. You can plant blue star creeper from seeds, plugs, or small nursery plants, with the best results typically achieved when planting in spring or early fall. Water the plants thoroughly after planting, and keep the soil consistently moist until they are established.

How to Grow

Blue star creepers are gorgeous no matter where you place them: filling the edges of a pond or forming a low, dense mat between stepping stones. It’s also easy to care for. Here’s what you need to know.

Light

Plant blue star creepers in sunny or partially sunny areas. They need a sufficient amount of light to grow. Full shade is not ideal. If you live in a warmer zone, planting blue star creeper in a location where it has direct sunlight for most of the day will protect your growing blue star creeper.

Water

For the best growth, blue star creepers need regular watering. In the first year of growth proper watering is crucial, so that they can firmly establish in the soil. After that, they becomes pretty drought-resistant. However, blue star creeper doesn’t like to sit in water so you’ve got to be careful about where you plant it.

Avoid planting blue star creepers in lower spots that may be susceptible to holding water after rain. Despite their drought tolerance, you still have to water them well during hot and dry weather to avoid death.

Soil

Blue star creepers prefer moist, well-draining soil that doesn’t get too hot at the peak of the day. As a ground cover, it works quite well when interplanted between larger shrubs, bushes, pavers, or trees. Use average garden soil or a good potting mix to amend the existing soil. Ensure drainage is present, and give your blue star creeper a slightly acidic soil for best results.

Temperature

While it typically prefers a warm climate, blue star creeper can manage to hold its ground in snow cover and temperatures down to -4°F (-20°C). Heat is not a problem as long as proper irrigation is applied to the soil around your plant.

Fertilizer

Blue star creepers are not heavy feeders, so you don’t even need to fertilize provided you have quality soil. However, an application of a general-purpose garden fertilizer prior to the growing season can help to recondition your soil before planting. Do not fertilize outside the growing season as this can stress your blue star.

Maintenance

If growing in containers as an ornamental or houseplant, you can repot it at will. As soon as it starts to outgrow a pot, simply divide it up into smaller pots, or size your pot up by about one inch or so. This generally occurs once every year or two. You’ll want to up-pot in early spring when new growth begins.

Considering the fact that it isn’t native to the United States, it can spread rather quickly, making it aggressive in nature. You will want to prune and shape occasionally to keep the plant tidy.

This fast growth happens when you over-water the plant or apply more fertilizer than necessary. Try using a deep landscape edging material to stop unwanted spreading, or you can hand pull any extra growth easily. Alternatively, if you have a small patch you can deadhead the flowers before the seeds mature.

Propagation

If you want to propagate blue star creeper, there are two ways to do it: by dividing the root ball or via seeds.

The root ball can be easily divided by gently scraping the soil from the roots using your hand. Then, split the root ball cleanly with sharp pruning shears and plant it in your desired pot or in the ground.

The second method is rather complicated. First, let the seed pods dry on the plant, then crush them in an airtight container to collect them. Once you have the seeds, sprinkle them on a moistened seed starting mix. Once the seeds are evenly distributed on the seed mix, place a newspaper on the container. Leave a small gap between the container’s top surface and the soil. This will give your blue star creeper seeds a place to sprout.

Keep the container moist and in partial sunlight for seven to fifteen days. When the seedlings reach the six-leaf stage, plant them in the ground or at your desired location.

Common Problems

So long as you’re keeping blue star creeper well-watered and protected, you shouldn’t have too many growing issues. It rarely gets into trouble with pests or diseases, but it may face some problems if you ignore its growing requirements.

Growing Problems

If you water them too much, the plants will rapidly grow and spread out over the ground. While it might sound good to have a garden full of blue flowers, at some point it will start to take over other areas of the yard or garden that you’d rather dedicate to different plants.

That said, overwatering can also be an issue if you have heavy clay soil that holds on to too much water. You can easily kill the plant by over watering.

Blue star creeper is not an invasive plant by classification, but it can grow in a pattern that resembles an invasive species if you make its growing environment favorable to explosive growth.

Pests

You don’t have to be too concerned about pests when it comes to blue star creeper lawn care. The low-spreading plant is not bothered by insects. Also, you won’t have to worry about rabbits making a home in your lawn as it’s resistant to them as well!

However, slugs and snails may snack on blue star creepers in overwatered areas. Either wait for them to come out at night and handpick them, or set up a beer trap, where they’ll enter the afterlife drunkenly.

Diseases

This ground cover with blue flowers is prone to fungal diseases that halt the roots’ ability to grow and develop. So, it’s important to plant it in moist but well-drained locations to prevent nasty fungal issues like damping off and leaf spot.

If you notice either setting in, remove damaged or browning parts. If necessary, replant in an area with better drainage.