Muscari armeniacum 6+

Muscari armeniacum is a small plant that is perfectly hardy in all our regions. It is so prolific that just a few bulbs planted in autumn can form beautiful flowering carpets or delightful borders in a few years. They work well in lawns or under a leafy bush hedge. This muscari boasts a very bright medium blue colour. It will form dazzling clusters of fragrant flowers tightly packed together. It is the perfect choice to create beautiful blue waves among spring bulbs with yellow flowers.

Muscari armeniacum, sometimes called Armenian grape hyacinth, belongs to the Asparagaceae family, just like asparagus! This small bulbous plant is native to the mountains of southeastern Europe, Armenia, Turkey, and the Caucasus, where it endures severe frosts. The plant produces a basal rosette of very narrow, gutter-shaped, light green and vibrant leaves. Each rosette produces 3 to 5 flowering stems on a mature and well-developed bulb. The 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall flowering stems bear 20 to 40 small urn-shaped, bright blue and fragrant flowers tightly packed in a compact cluster that is 10cm (4in) tall. The flowers often have a small white margin. After pollination by insects, trigonous fruits form, containing numerous round, black seeds that germinate very easily.

Muscari is a rather discreet but versatile plant that easily beautifies gardens. Its great resistance to cold, drought, and shade allows it to be used in many situations: in woodlands, at the base of trees, as an edging plant to emphasise a pathway, in rock gardens alongside heathers, or in Japanese-style gardens. It thrives very well in pots. It is so forgiving that it will not mind if you forget to water it! Its blue flowers look wonderful next to the yellow trumpets of daffodils or the pink and red cups of triumph tulips.