CyberSalad: Garden Pursuits: Bulbs: Grape Hyacinth (Muscari)

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Muscari

     Few spring-flowering bulbs grow as well with as little care as grape hyacinths and few supply such a wealth of bright flowers. Their tiny, sweetly scented blossoms appear on spikes that generally grow 6 to 9 inches tall; the grasslike leaves appear in the fall and lie on the surface of the soil uninjured by winter cold, then wither away in early summer. The plante are attractive in rock gardens and borders, among shrubs and under trees or naturalized in short grass. When cut they make appealing miniature indoor arrangements, and they can also be grown as house plants.
     Grape hyacinths, which can be grown throughout Zones 2-10 without winter protection, do best in full sun or light shade. Plant the bulbs as soon as they are available in late summer or early fall, setting them 3 inches apart and covering them with 3 inches of soil. Do not fertilize. Leave the bulbs in the ground indefinitely to form a carpet of spring color--they can be dug up and divided in midsummer every few years but are so inexpensive that most gardeners simply buy more when they want to plant them elsewhere. Grape hyacinths also spread through the garden by self-sown seeds; the seedlings usually blossom in their third growing season.
     Plants grown in pots do best in at least four hours of direct sunlight a day, night temperatures of 40° to 45° and day temperatures of 68° or lower. For winter bloom, plant in early fall using a good potting soil. Keep the soil moist until the leaves wither, but do not fertilize. Propagate in midsummer from the small bulbs that develop around the large ones.

M. armeniacum The most widely planted species of grape hyacinth because of its vigor and larger flowers. Superb in naturalzing and ideal for rock gardens, borders, and under trees and shrubs.

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Site launched January 1, 2000.
Site updated September 1, 2007.