One of the spring highlights for me are Camassia leichtlinii cultivars. These hardy perennial bulbous plants add such grace to a naturalised grassy area, or a semi shaded spot of the garden, equally performing in exposed sunny spots. I've always found in a good number of gardens, shade brings out the best these perennials have to offer, which is significant from mid-April for a good two months.
Camassia is a genus from North America, family: Asparagaceae, commonly known as Wild Hyacinth, Indian Hyacinth. The ideal conditions are damp meadows and woodland edges (HPS Shade & Woodland Plants Group)
Colours of the tall spires’ racemes range from violet/blue, white, pink. These have the capacity to grow up to a metre high. Borne on the willow style stems, take a close look at that morphology, you can see why this perennial is of the family: Asparagaceae! The leaves are long and narrow, linear, forming a rosette at the base of the flower stalks.
The inflorescence are star shaped, comprising 6 petals, with distinctive stamens, bright golden yellow.
The Camassia leichtlinii at the Lakeside Garden grows under the shade of the Chusan Palm: Trachycarpus fortunei. This wonderful perennial is situated in close proximity to various shrubs, Hydrangea species, Camellia, Philadelphus, Weigela, and various other shrubs and surrounding flora, nestled in and naturalising out of a ground cover of Symphytum ibericum, the border edge is lined with the delicate white flowers and foliage of Sweet Woodruff ( Galium odoratum) It's all quite an unusual combination, but it works well.
Camassia species really do thrive well in moist well drained soil as a preference. But I've witnessed them also performing well in heavy clay areas, and some drier soils.
One thing I've learned over the years with Camassia in various gardens, as beautiful as they are, the more they increase, the more they flail, and this seems to happen to the main body of the plants well before flowering finishes.
I've now learned to counteract this through experience, as with all things. In the autumn, I lift and split established clumps of the bulbs, I replant in close proximity, and this seems to alleviate the problem for the following flowering season. Congestion of clumps can slow down growth, this causes a mass of growth which creates this flailing habit. Camassia bulbs are large for those who haven't seen them, ranging in size from approximately 6 - 14cm.
In addition, I also remove any baby bublets from the main bulbs and plant into pots of peat free compost and grow on and overwinter in the cool glasshouse area or cold frame. These can be planted out the following late spring to establish for flowering the following season.
Patience as always required!
Kevin Line is Head Gardener / Plantsman, Lakeside Hotel Garden, South Cumbria, / Freelance Garden Adviser (spare time).
Member of The Professional Gardeners’ Guild.
Blogging for HPS 10 years, Member 12 years.
Kevin is also a member of the -
*RHS.
*Alpine Garden Society.
* International Lilac Society (USA)
* Plantlife (Wild Plant Conservation Charity)
* The National Trust.
