Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cusick's Camas bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Cusick's camas, Cusick's camass, Wild blue hyacinth (Camassia cusickii).

More about cusick's camas

About Cusick's Camas

Camassia cusickii · also called Cusick's camas, Cusick's camass · flowering

Camassia cusickii is a robust bulbous perennial endemic to a restricted area of northeastern Oregon and adjacent Idaho, where it grows in seasonally wet meadows and along stream margins at elevation, producing tall spikes of pale icy-blue to lavender flowers in mid-spring. It is the largest-bulbed Camassia species and one of the most impressive for naturalising in moist borders or lightly shaded woodland edges. The most important care fact is to ensure consistently moist — but not waterlogged — soil during the growing season, then allow summer dry-down as the foliage fades. Its toxicity status is uncertain; treat as mildly toxic and keep corms away from pets.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons cusick's camas isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cusick's camas traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding cusick's camas a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get cusick's camas to flower

Maximise sun. Give cusick's camas the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for cusick's camas and get the feeding right with the cusick's camas fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Cusick's Camas flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full cusick's camas care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cusick's Camas blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cusick's camas flower?

Cusick's Camas blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make cusick's camas bloom?

Give cusick's camas the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does cusick's camas normally bloom?