Commonly known as The Wild Hyacinth, Camass, Quamash or Leichtlin’s Camass, it’s an incredibly valuable genus since it naturalizes well when left undisturbed in a good spot, and since it blooms in the blank period between the big Narcissus and Tulip spring show and the big summer show when perennials and annuals hit their colorful strides. As it matures over time, when it’s happy where it’s planted, it naturalizes by bulb offsets (called bulbils: baby bulbs on the sides of the mother bulb you’ve planted). As if that weren’t enough, it’s also a good cut flower. Back around 1800, history reports that Sacajawea cooked Camassia bulbs to feed the Lewis and Clark expedition. 

You’ll need four bulbs per square foot. (Square footage is determined by multiplying the planting site’s length times its width.) Full to partial sunlight. Bloom time in horticultural zone 5: May/June. Plant 5" deep and 5" apart. If Camassia is planted near a stream or pond, make sure to plant it above the high water mark. Even though Camassia likes soil with a bit of moisture, it can not be submerged in water.