notes and musings from a perennial gardener
Here’s a native bulb with an fascinating history you might not know about. Camassia, also called camas, Great Camas, camash, quamash, Indian hyacinth or wild hyacinth, is comprised of five species native to the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. There is also an eastern species C. scilloides, or Atlantic camassia. They are all members of the asparagus family.
Tiarella (Tiarella cordifolia) is a pretty spring-blooming perennial for shady borders, under shrubs and for woodland settings where an attractive groundcover is desired. If you like heuchera, tiarella is like a first cousin, very similar yet with its own charm. Most tiarella cultivars on the market today are nativars; that is, gently improved versions of our native foam flower. As a result they are hardy, undemanding, and valued for both very charming flowers and attractive, well-marked foliage.
There is nothing quite so spectacular as a meadow of blazing star, their colorful wands punctuating the air like so many exclamation points. Luckily you don’t need a meadow to grow them, and there are species for dry and wet conditions.
Whether you call it blazing star, gayfeather or liatris, this midsummer beauty makes a fun, bold statement no matter where it is — in a meadow, your garden, or a vase.
Liatris is native to North America and a member of the aster family with over fifty species. It blooms in mid to late summer. Most of these are wildflowers of course, most suitable for large gardens and semi-wild meadows. But several have been bred for use in flower gardens.