notes and musings from a perennial gardener
As the years go by it’s interesting to reflect on how a garden evolves over time. By comparing photographs taken at roughly the same time each year it’s easier to see the differences. Since my gardens are going on 8 and 9 years old, I decided to see just how much has changed.
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.