Lovely Camassias
Native Bulbs for Perennial Gardens, Meadows, and Cutting Gardens
Camassias are very showy North American bulbs, as easily grown as tulips. Edible yet deer resistant, the flowers offer reliable spring color.
The botanical name Camassia is a variation of the native American name for this plant, also commonly known as Quamash, Camosh, or Camas. They are useful in perennial borders and containers, or can be naturalized in a meadow. Camassias look a bit like tall Hyacinths, blooming in blue, violet, and white. With their long stems, they make good cut flowers for bouquets and arrangements.
With interest in native species growing among gardeners, Camassias are becoming more popular. Care should be taken to buy only plants or bulbs that are nursery propagated, not wild-collected. Like most of our more familiar hardy bulbs, Camassias are planted in the fall in order to bloom in the spring. The bulb is tear-drop shaped, just a bit larger than a tulip. Rich well-drained loam is best. They can tolerate more moisture than most Mediterranean bulbs and have a reputation for being deer resistant although the bulbs are edible. A good design strategy would be to interplant Camassias with perennials that retain their foliage so they won’t leave a bare spot in the garden when foliage goes dormant in midsummer .
The handful of species in this genus are all native to North America. The most commonly available species is Camassia quamash, formerly known as Camassia esculenta. It grows wild in the Pacific Northwest and is the most cold hardy - to Zone 2. They bloom in late spring or early summer with 2‘ tall racemes of blue, violet, or white flowers.
Two other Northwestern species have a more limited wild range in Oregon. Camassia Cusickii - Cusick’s Camas, grows to about 3’ and usually has blue-violet flowers. Camassia Leichtlinii - Leichtlin’s Camas, can reach 4’ in height and most often has creamy white flowers, although blue ones are also known.
There is also an eastern native which grows wild from Pennsylvania south to Georgia and west to Minnesota and Texas. Camassia scilloides is also known as Eastern Camas, Meadow Hyacinth, and Indigo Squill. It is hardy to Zone 5 and likes moist meadows, but can also tolerate partial shade. Blue-lilac, or occasionally white flowers bloom in May.
One caution if you decide to sample the edible bulb - don’t confuse them with two similar species, Zigadenus elegans and Zigadenus glaucus, the Mountain Death Camas and White Camas respectively. Also North American natives, these grow in the northeast and prairie states. Their greenish white flowers bloom in mid to late summer and are very attractive, but as the common name suggests their bulbs are very poisonous.
