Muscari armeniacum Esther

Muscari armeniacum 'Esther' is a delightful little hybrid that bears compact spikes of flowers in shades of glacier blue, green, and white at the top, depending on the stage of blooming, in early spring, on a tuft of dark green foliage. The nectar-rich and slightly fragrant flowering occurs in March. This small bulb rests in summer, indifferent to heat.

Derived from Muscari armeniacum, 'Esther' is a hybrid belonging to the asparagaceae family. This small bulb produces a basal rosette of very narrow, gutter-shaped, dark green leaves. Each rosette emits 3 to 5 flowering stems on a mature and well-developed bulb. The 15 to 20 cm tall flowering stems bear 20 to 40 small urn-shaped flowers. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers, 2 to 6 cm long and about 1.5 cm wide, exhaling a heavy and heady fragrance. The urn-shaped flowers are small, measuring only 5 to 6 mm in length. They are tightly packed together, forming a narrow and dense cone. The very pale green buds open into glacier-blue flowers. This bulb slowly naturalises itself in light soil, without ever becoming invasive.

Muscari is a small, undemanding plant, but one that should not be overlooked because of its delightful range of soft or vibrant colours. 'Esther' falls on the side of soft blooms, with its range of blue and pale green. Its great resistance to cold, drought, and shade allows it to be used in many situations: in woodland, at the base of trees, as a border to highlight the design of a pathway, in a rockery, with heathers for example, or in Japanese-style gardens. It also  grows very well in pots, on a windowsill or balcony. It is so accommodating that it will forgive forgotten watering, and thrive in neglected or weekend gardens. Its flowers are very beautiful alongside the trumpets of daffodils, forget-me-nots, the fragrant clusters of early blue hyacinths (Blue Pearl, Delft Blue), or the pink and white cups of triumph tulips. Also place muscari in clusters in a lawn. It multiplies rapidly in good, rich, well-draining soil.