Camas Lily Alba Camassia

Bloom Time

late spring to early summer

Height

24-48"

Bloom Color

white

Hardy in Zones

3–7

Camas Lily Camassia leichtlinii

The name camas comes from the Nez Perce word for ‘sweet,’ and this species is native to western North America. Spikes of delicate 6-petaled blossoms open sequentially from the bottom up above lush strappy foliage. Blooms after most spring flowers are gone but before early summer flowers peak. Deer and rodent resistant. Prefers moist well-drained fertile soil around ponds, in light woods, or in the garden, and has the potential to naturalize. Tolerates wet soil better than other Camassia species, but not standing water. Full to partial sun.

Novelties and Specialties

The Royal General Bulbgrowers Association in Holland (Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur, or KAVB) puts this large group of diverse flowers into a boring catch-all category: Miscellaneous Bulbs. The expensive catalogs call them accent bulbs; some call them minor or dwarf bulbs (even though some of the fritillaries are huge!); Louise Beebe Wilder covered most of them in her 1936 classic Adventures with Hardy Bulbs. Whatever you call them, most are sweet, colorful, and completely welcome in spring.

Items from our perennial plants warehouse will ship around late September through October. Bulbs can be planted successfully up until your ground freezes.

Note to Alaska and far north customers: We cannot guarantee an early shipment, so please plan accordingly and order early.

We cannot accommodate specific ship date requests or guarantee your order will arrive by a certain day.