Camassia - Garden Basics - Flower - Bulb
- AKA: Wild Hyacinth
- Botanical Name: Camassia
- Planting Time: Fall
- Height: up to 3 feet
- Exposure: Sun or light shade
- Soil: fertile, rich in organic matter, moist but well drained
- Hardiness: 4 to 9 with some variation by species
- Bloom Time: Late spring to summer
- Uses: Wildflower areas, borders, cutting
Popular Varieties
C.
Cusickii
This
species comes from Oregon and produces a very large
bulb. Foliage is blue-green, 16 inches long and
1½ inches wide. Numerous pale blue florets are produced
on strong stems reaching a height of 30-36 inches.
Once the plant is established, the flower heads
are large and contain many individual flowers that
open over a long period of time. Zones
3 to 9.
C.
leichtlinii
One
of the tallest growing, this species reaches more
than 36 inches in height. Leaves are an inch wide
an 24 inches long. Flowers vary from white to deep
purplish-blue. White varieties are a great addition
to an all white garden. This is one of the best
garden species, and several great selections are
sometimes found, including semi-double flower forms.
Zones 4-10.
C.
quamash
This
species is widespread with a habitat that reaches
from British Columbia to California. It has great
variation in flower color, from white to deep blue
to purple. These hardy plants are easy to grow.
The bulbs can be quite large and and plants are
more compact than other species, reaching a height
of 10 to 30 inches. The bulbs of this species was
used for food by Native Americans, however most
parts of the plant are poisonous, and isn't recommended
that you eat any part of it. The cultivar 'Orion'
is deep blue and 'San Juan' is even deeper blue.
Zones 5-8.
C.
scilloides
This
variety, also called Wild Hyacinth, reaches a height
of 24 inches. It has grasslike leaves 1 inch in
width. Flowers vary from deep blue to white and
number from 8 to 10 per stem. C. scilloides
is very easy to grow in average garden soil as long
as moisture is present during the growing season.
Grows best in zones 5-8.
