Camassia Leichtlinii Caerulea - ORG

She flowers when most other bulbs have already finished. As the tulips wilt and the daffodils have finished flowering, the Camassia Leichtlinii Caerulea appears: steel-blue clusters of stars on straight, sturdy stems 60 centimetres tall. It is a flower that takes you by surprise, precisely because it appears at an unexpected moment. And she has a story.

Food for the Lewis and Clark expedition

The Camassia is no stranger to the gardening world, but her history goes back a long way. For centuries, the tubers served as food for the indigenous peoples of western North America. They were eaten roasted or steamed. In 1805, the indigenous guide Sacajawea cooked the tubers to feed the famous explorers Lewis and Clark during their expedition through the west of what is now America. That is certainly a compelling story.

A deep blue unlike any other bulbous plant

What sets the organic Camassia Leichtlinii Caerulea apart from its cousin, the Cusickii, is the intensity of the flower colour. Whilst the Cusickii is light blue with a hazy tone, the Caerulea has a deeper, steely blue. Almost violet-blue in the shade, soft sky blue in full light. The flowers open from the bottom up along the stem, which extends the flowering period per stem and gives the plant a dynamic, lively character.

For damp spots and verges

Like other camassias, these organic camassia bulbs thrive in a spot with some moisture retention in the soil, a characteristic that sets them apart from most other bulbous plants. They do exceptionally well in damp borders, along ditch banks and pond edges, on wet verges or in light clay soil. Plant the bulbs in autumn at a depth of around 10 cm in a sunny to lightly shaded spot. They are hardy and gradually naturalise.