When to plant and prune Camassia (quamash)
Camassia (quamash) flowers from early May to late June and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Camassia (quamash) is timed from the average frost dates, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to late December | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| South Coast and Channel | late September to mid December | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to mid December | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| South East and Home Counties | mid September to late November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| East Anglia | early September to late November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to late November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Wales and West Coast | mid September to early December | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Northern England | late August to mid November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late August to early November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early August to mid October | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Northern Ireland | mid September to late November | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to late December | early May to late June | early June to mid July |
Growing notes
Depth: plant September to November at two to three times the size of the bulb. Leaves push through as early as January and flower stems appear from April, with spikes in late spring and early summer. Not a good long-term container plant - performance drops after one or two years in pots. Mulch in very cold gardens.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 100 cm
- Eventual spread
- 20 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- No
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Pruning group
Cut flowered stems down after flowering, but leave the foliage to die back naturally
What usually goes wrong
- squirrels digging up newly planted bulbs
- poor performance in containers after year one
- rot in waterlogged soil
- foliage flops after flowering
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for camassia (quamash).