Cusick's camas

Cusick's camas: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb with stems 60–80 cm tall and a clump 20 cm wide.

Leaf

Broadly strap-shaped, blue-green, up to 40 cm long, at the base of the plant.

Flower

Pale blue, starry flowers 3–4 cm across in a long spike, with yellow stamens.

Flowering

May, for about three weeks.

Bulb

Large, up to 5–6 cm, often with a cluster of offsets.

Flowering: May · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Sky-blue flower spikes in May, after the tulips and before the summer flowers begin.
• A rich bee plant: the open, starry flowers are full of pollen.
• Tolerates moist, heavy soil better than most bulbs.
• Lovely for naturalising in grass or a wildflower meadow.
• A strong, long-lived bulb that returns every year and slowly spreads.

Cusick's camas: where does it grow best?

• Sun to light shade.
• Loam, clay or peaty soil rich in humus.
• Moist in spring; tolerates a wet spot, even at the edge of a pond.
• In grass, a wildflower meadow, a moist border or among perennials.
• Plant 10–15 bulbs per m² in loose groups.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.8 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Tulip: Flowers just before; together they give a long spring display.
• Meadowsweet: Fills the damp spot later in summer.
• Yellow flag: Yellow beside the blue at the edge of a pond.
• Hardy geranium: Flowers shortly after the camassia and hides the dying leaves.
• Cuckooflower: A native spring flower for a damp meadow.

Cusick's camas: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs in September–November.
2. Set them about 15 cm deep and 15 cm apart.
3. Mix compost into heavy soil; extra drainage is not needed.
4. Plant in natural, irregular groups for the best effect.
5. In grass: make holes with a bulb planter and drop the bulbs in.

Care

Water

Rarely needed; make sure the soil stays moist in April–May.

Feeding

Some compost or well-rotted manure in autumn.

Leaves

Let the leaves turn yellow after flowering before removing them.

Mowing

In grass: mow only once the leaves have died back, usually late June–July.

Dividing

After a few years the clumps become crowded; you can then divide them.

Tip: Plant them in a strip of grass that you do not mow until July: in May you will have a blue flower meadow, just as in their homeland.

Cusick's camas: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed.

How:

• Cut off the faded stems if you do not want seed.
• Remove the leaves when they are completely yellow, usually in July.

Caution: Do not cut the leaves while still green: the bulb needs them to flower next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Lift crowded clumps in summer after the leaves have died back, separate the bulbs and replant at once.

Sowing

Sow ripe seed in autumn in a pot outdoors; seedlings flower after 3–4 years.

Cusick's camas: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Very hardy, to −25 °C.
• No protection needed.
• The bulbs cope with wet winter soil better than most other bulbs.
• In winter there is nothing to see above ground.

Diseases and pests

• Few flowers: Too much shade or crowded clumps. Give more light or divide the clump.
• Slug damage: On the young leaves in spring; usually limited.
• Flopping stems: Too much shade or soil that is too rich. Choose a sunnier spot and feed less.

Through the year

• March: Leaves appear.
• April: Flower buds.
• May: Full flower. Bees.
• June: Seed ripens. Leaves turn yellow.
• July: Remove the leaves. Mow the grass. Divide crowded clumps.
• September: Plant bulbs.
• October: Plant bulbs.
• November: Last bulbs.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The bulbs of related Camassia species were an important food for the Indigenous peoples of north-west America; they were slow-cooked for hours in pits.
• The name Camassia comes from ‘camas’ or ‘quamash’, the word the Nez Perce and other peoples used for the plant.