PURDY'S CALIFORNIA BULBS AND PLANTS 11 
CAMASSIAS 
Whether on the Pacific Coast, 
in the East, or in Europe, there 
are few bulbous plants which 
meet climatic or soil conditions 
better, or give a more attractive 
bloom. They are hardy without 
protection, and thrive either 
under ordinary garden conditions 
or when naturalized in open 
moist woods, or on the sides of 
ponds or streams, or in not too 
dense a grassy growth. In the 
West they thrive where they are 
submerged all winter. All eastern 
and European customers praise 
them highly. It is better to 
plant them not over 4 inches 
apart in masses of from twelve to 
hundreds. Plant from October to 
January in any fair soil, and 3 to 
4 inches deep. Water liberally 
when growing and in flower, but 
it does not matter whether they 
are dried off afterward or not. 
The foliage is excellent. It is not 
at all necessary to lift when done 
flowering, and they can be left 
alone for years. 
Esculenta is the purple form. 
It is very rich in color, and grows 
as high as 2 feet in the best soils. 
It is very showy in masses. My 
prices, 3 cts. each, 25 cts. per 
doz., $1 per 100; flowering bulbs 
to naturalize, $5 per 1,000, not 
delivered. 
The variety Leichtlinii comes 
in three colors. In deep purple, 
it is a fine plant that may grow to 
4 feet in height, with as many as 
a hundred flowers, of the finest, 
even form, star-shaped, and as 
large as an inch and a half across. 
It flowers in long succession. 
These at 6 cts. each, 60 cts. per 
doz., or $4 per 100. In cream- 
color, Leichtlinii is as large as in 
purple, but with the diff"erent 
colored flowers. It, too, is a very 
fine plant, and when well estab- 
lished reminds one of the Ere- 
meri. 6 cts. each, 60 cts. per doz., 
or $4 per 100. Leichtlinii in clear 
sky-blue, not so tall as the others, 
but has fine flowers. These at 5 
cts. each, 50 cts. per doz. 
A Michigan customer writes: 
"Camassias are perfectly hardy 
without protection." He planted 
the bulbs wild, and they grew so 
well, and the flowers were so 
much of a novelty that his garden 
soon became one of the famous 
places of the town. 
Camassia Leichtlinii 
From a Cleveland, Ohio, Amateur: "The Camassias 
made a sturdy growth, more than 4 ,'2 feet in height, cov- 
ered with bloom and lasting longer than almost any plant 
that I know of (bulbous) , I made the mistake of plantmg 
them solitary. In future will make large groups." 
