As the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait." It will take some patience to introduce Dodecatheon hendersonii, commonly called Henderson's shooting star, to your garden. It can take 3-5 years from seed to flowering, but it is worth the wait to have one of the Pacific Northwest's most beautiful wildflowers grace your garden!

Found in the wild from British Columbia to Northern California, Henderson's shooting star prefers partial to full sun in open woodlands, from sea level to about the 1900 foot elevation. It is what is called a spring-flowering (April-May) ephemeral, going dormant and disappearing from the garden when the spring rains cease. Before that happens though, it produces stems of unusual nodding flowers in shades or magenta to dark lavender to white. The flowers are held on long, leaf-less stems (as much as 12" tall) well above the flat basal leaf cluster. To thrive, Dodecatheon hendersonii must have good drainage and a summer dry period.