Add a Bit of Blue of the Spring Garden with Camassia

Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.

Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.

Add a bit of blue to your spring garden with Camassia. Spring is a great time to locate a spot for this beauty while fall is the time to plant it in the garden or force it indoors.

There are several species of Camassia, extending their adaptability and growing zones from 3 to 9.

Most prefer moist soil when blooming and drier conditions when dormant. This makes them suitable for rain gardens. They also make great additions to meadow, natural and even more formal perennial gardens.

The spikes of blue, white, or purple star shaped flowers appear in spring and look great in the garden or as a cut flower in a vase.

This durable beauty grows in full sun to partial shade, tolerates wet, dry and clay soils and will grow near a black walnut.

Plant it among perennials to hide the foliage that can become scruffy as the bulbs start to go dormant.

A bit more information: Camassia scilliodes also known as Wild Hyacinth is native to Ontario and much of the eastern and southern United States. Blue Camass (Camssia quamash) is native to the Pacific Northwest. And Camassia leichtlinii can be found along the west coast from British Columbia to southern California as well as many zone 5 to 9 gardens.

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