Bulb · Asparagaceae
Common Camas
Camassia quamash
A kind, easygoing bulb that makes a first-time grower feel right at home.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–8
1–4 ft · 0.3–1.2 m
Overview
If you are just starting out with bulbs, Common Camas (Camassia quamash) is a lovely place to begin. It is a hardy North American native in the Asparagaceae family, easy to please, and happy to come back year after year as a perennial out in the garden. Mistakes here tend to be gentle ones, and the plant is quick to forgive.
Each spring it sends up leaves and tall flower spikes, and from March to June those blue and violet spires can carpet a damp patch of ground the way they once colored wild meadows. Native American peoples cooked the bulbs as food, a quiet reminder of how long this plant has been valued.
After the show, the foliage fades and the bulb slips into a peaceful rest underground through the dry summer. This rhythm is the one thing to keep in mind: moist soil in spring, drier soil while it rests. Follow that and the rest falls into place.
Care
The short version: give Common Camas full sun and steady moisture while it grows and blooms in spring, then let it dry out and rest through summer. Plant the bulbs in fall, leave them mostly undisturbed, and feed only lightly. It is a patient, low-fuss plant, and almost any early stumble can be put right at the next season.
Light
Camas is happiest in full sun, where it flowers most freely, but it will also take partial sun or a bit of light, partial shade without complaint. If you notice plenty of leaves and few flowers, too much shade is the usual reason, and simply giving it a brighter home next season puts things back on track.
Water
Through its spring growth and bloom, keep the soil evenly moist, since camas grows naturally in wet meadows and enjoys having damp feet then. Water often enough during that active stretch that the ground never dries out on it. Once it slips into summer dormancy, ease right off and let the resting bulbs stay drier, which keeps them healthy below ground.
Soil
Give it well-drained, moist, humus-rich soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in, and it will be content. Camas is not fussy about acidity, settling happily anywhere in the 5.5 to 7.5 pH range, so there is no need to fiddle with test kits or amendments.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy bulb suited to zones 3 to 8. It shrugs off winter chill down to about 10°F (-12°C) and copes with summer heat up to roughly 86°F (30°C) before easing into its restful dormancy. You can largely let the seasons do the work.
Humidity
Air humidity is one thing you can stop worrying about entirely; average outdoor air is perfectly fine. What truly matters to camas is moisture at the roots in spring, not the dampness around its leaves, so focus your attention on the soil instead.
Feeding
Feeding is wonderfully light. Mix a balanced bulb fertilizer or compost into the soil at planting time in spring, and that single gesture takes care of the whole season. There is no ongoing schedule to keep, which makes this one less thing on your list.
Pruning
No regular pruning is needed here. Let the foliage die back on its own after the flowers fade, since that is how the bulb gathers strength for next year. The only optional snip is removing spent flower stalks if you would rather it not self-seed around the garden.
Repotting
Camas likes to be left undisturbed, so you will rarely need to lift or divide it. Step in only when a clump grows so crowded that flowering tails off, or when bulb offsets push up to the soil surface, signs it is simply ready for a little more room.
Size & spacing
Flower spikes reach 1 to 4 feet (30 to 120 cm) tall, with each clump spreading 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) across. Over time the plants knit together into natural drifts, so leave them a bit of elbow room at planting and let them fill in at their own pace.
When to plant
Timing with camas is refreshingly simple once you picture its year. You tuck bulbs into the ground in fall so they can root quietly over winter, then enjoy the blooms from March to June, after which the foliage dies back and the bulbs settle into summer rest.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in fall; sow seed outdoors in fall or spring
- Harvest: Spring (March to June)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Common Camas rarely throws a serious problem your way, and the few that come up are usually easy to read and easier to fix. Here are the two you are most likely to meet, with gentle, recoverable solutions for each.
Soft bulbs hiding below the surface
If a bulb feels mushy or shows little tunnels when you lift it, the usual culprits are narcissus bulb fly larvae or soggy ground that stayed wet through dormancy. It looks alarming, yet a quick cleanup and better drainage usually set things right, and the rest of your planting can carry on unbothered.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infested or rotten bulbs
- Improve soil drainage for summer dormancy
- Avoid leaving wounded bulbs in waterlogged soil
Plenty of leaves, waiting on the blooms
Lush green growth with no flowers is one of the most common hiccups, and it is almost always an easy fix. Most often the spot is too shady, the clump has grown crowded, or the planting is simply young and still settling in. None of these harm the bulb, so you can relax and correct course at the next quiet moment.
Fix:
- Site in full sun for best flowering
- Lift and divide crowded clumps of bulb offsets after foliage dies back
- Be patient with seed-grown plants, which need several years to bloom
Toxicity
Here is the reassuring part: true common camas is not poisonous to people, dogs, or cats, and the bulbs were a cooked traditional food. The single hazard worth taking seriously is misidentification, so it helps to know exactly where the real care lies.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Not poisonous to cats, so a curious garden nibble is nothing to fret over.
Dogs None
Not poisonous to dogs; if yours digs up and chews a bulb, it should be just fine.
Horses Safe
No toxicity has been reported for grazing horses, so this one can graze nearby with ease.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can browse it without harm, since there is no toxin to worry about.
Livestock Safe
Grazing cattle, goats, and sheep are not at risk from true common camas.
Birds Safe
No known danger to birds, so feathered visitors are welcome.
People Safe
The bulbs were a cooked staple for Native American peoples and are safe to eat once correctly identified; the single real hazard is mistaking it for deadly death camas, so never eat a wild bulb without an expert's confirmation.
The true danger is misidentification: edible camas bulbs closely resemble the highly poisonous death camas (Toxicoscordion/Zigadenus). Never forage or consume wild bulbs without expert identification.
Varieties
A couple of named selections are worth seeking out if you want a little something extra. Both keep the easygoing nature of the species while adding their own charm.
Camassia quamash 'Blue Melody'
Pairs deep blue-violet flowers with cream-edged variegated leaves, so it earns its keep before bloom even begins.
Camassia quamash 'Orion'
Carries deep blue flowers on tall stems, a wonderful pick if you want to naturalize a drift across a moist meadow.
How to propagate
Making more camas is genuinely beginner-friendly, and there are several relaxed ways to do it. None require special skill, just a little timing and patience.
Offsets & pupsEasy
After foliage dies back in summer dormancy · 1 to 2 seasons
Once the leaves have faded into summer dormancy, gently lift a clump and ease apart the small bulb offsets clustered around the parent. Tuck them back into moist humus-rich soil and let them settle over 1 to 2 seasons. This is the quickest, friendliest way to build a generous drift.
Bulbs & cormsEasy
Fall · 1 to 2 seasons
Set dormant bulbs into moist humus-rich ground in fall and let them root quietly over winter, ready to bloom the following spring. Give them 1 to 2 seasons to find their feet before expecting a full show, and they will reward your patience.
SeedModerate
Sow outdoors in fall or spring · Up to 3 years to flower
Camas self-seeds happily across a moist meadow, and you can sow your own outdoors in fall or spring. Seedlings take up to 3 years to reach blooming size, so think of this as a slow, rewarding project rather than a quick win.
DivisionEasy
During summer dormancy · 1 to 2 seasons
Splitting an established clump during summer dormancy keeps it vigorous and lets you spread the joy around the garden. The divided pieces re-establish within 1 to 2 seasons, so there is no rush and little that can go wrong.
Myths
All camas bulbs are safe to eat because Native Americans ate camas.
Edible common camas looks almost identical to death camas (Toxicoscordion/Zigadenus), whose bulbs are poisonous and can kill. The two are especially easy to mix up out of bloom, when the flower color that tells them apart is gone, so please never eat a wild bulb without expert identification.