small camas
Camassia quamash
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Blue
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Small camas (Camassia quamash) is a bulb for borders and low maintenance gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or chalky soil. Deer and rabbits tend to browse other plants first. Its starry blue flowers open on slender stems in spring and attract bees. The plant goes dormant by summer, so plant it where other perennials can fill the gap.
Pairs well with The Chatelaine lupine, China Pink tulip, and Purple Sensation ornamental onion.
Native range
CA, ID, MT, NV, and 4 more places. See all 8
CA, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY; BC.