Today I will tell you about Muscari planting and leaving, because I was at a flower festival and bought Muscari bulbs from a grandmother. Bulb seeds were sold a lot: tulips of all kinds and colors, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths. I liked the design of the flower garden with muscari, where among the yellow daffodils were blue spikelets of muscari. I liked the idea, and I also love the combination of yellow and blue colors. I think that among yellow and white crocuses, muscari will also look great. This is me suggesting ideas,.

Planting time for muscari. Muscari are small-bulbous flowers and are planted at the end of August, on the growing moon.

The best time to replant muscari is the end of August - the first week of September.

It happens that muscari in a pot is grown for distillation for the spring holidays - March 8 or Easter. Then, after the flowers have faded, it is not clear what to do with them. Take them to the garden and plant them in a secluded place to rest. By autumn, the bulbs will get stronger and you can use this seed for planting in a spring-blooming flower bed.

How to plant muscari

The bulbs of this plant are quite small, and when planting, you do not need to dig a hole separately for each bulb, but dig a trench, 3 bulbs deep, and immediately make a beautiful flower arrangement of bulbous flowers.

Bury crocuses / daffodils deeper, because their bulbs are larger. Fold higher in the muscari bulbs and sprinkle with earth. You will get original flower beds. Also, in layers, you can plant muscari in the fall in garden pots and decorate the entrance area of ​​a summer cottage or a private house with them.

If you are thinking with what to plant muscari in a flower bed, then the best neighbors for them are:

• tulips,
• daffodils,
• crocuses,
• hyacinths.

Earth under muscari

The land for planting bulbous flowers needs loose and lightweight. In heavy clay soils, bulbous flowers do not germinate well. Therefore, when you prepare the planting site, add humus or compost to the ground. Then the bulbs will grow larger, which means that the flowers will also be larger. The landing site can be either in the sun or in partial shade.

Muscari care

This bulbous plant has 2 periods to consider when growing muscari:

• flowering period,
• and a dormant period.

During flowering, frequent watering is needed, make sure that the soil is constantly moist, but the water should NOT stagnate. During rest, dryness is needed. There is no need to dig up muscari every year. Overgrown nests are enough to divide and replant them once every 4 - 5 years.

The best muscari varieties for growing in the country

Usually, Armenian muscari is grown in the gardens. It grows short, only 10 - 30 cm high. Usually blue, but there are varieties of white and even purple flowers. Small flowers are combined into inflorescences. Such delicate spikelets.

This flower can be used for forcing at home if it is kept cold. To do this, the bulbs must be kept in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 months, and then planted in a pot with soil. This is a very good option for growing muscari if you did not have time to plant them in the garden in time. Like any small flowers, muscari look good if there are a lot of them. The effect of a spot is created. Large plantings of muscari look good near a country house, you can also plant them along a garden path. These bulbous plants also solve the problem of what to plant around the tree. They revive the trunk circles of fruit trees - apple trees, pears.

As you can see, the muscari does not require a lot of effort to get into and out of. But they have an interesting scent, which is similar to musk and belong to long-blooming flowers. Most likely, the flower got its name because of the smell.

Muscari (lat.Muscari), or viper bow, or mouse hyacinth Is a genus of bulbous perennial plants of the Asparagaceae family, although it was previously classified as a Hyacinth or Liliaceae family. There are about 60 species that grow in nature among shrubs, on forest edges and on the mountain slopes of Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Crimea and the Mediterranean. Muscari flowers are one of the very first spring flowers, often grown for cut. The muscari plant has a pleasant and rather strong aroma. Muscari garden flowers, miniature and graceful, are a decoration of lawns, they are used in flower beds and rock gardens, as well as as curb plants.

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Planting and caring for muscari

• Landing: in the fall, in October.
• Bloom: Spring.
• Lighting: bright sunlight, partial shade.
• The soil: any.
• Watering: if the winter was snowy or the spring was wet, then watering is not needed at all.
• Top dressing: when digging a site, humus or compost is introduced at the rate of 5 kg per m².
• Reproduction: self-seeding and vegetative: separation of babies from the mother's bulb and planting them in the ground.
• Pests: aphids, spider mites.
• Diseases: viruses of yellow onion dwarfism and cucumber mosaic.

Read more about growing muscari below.

Muscari flowers - description

Muscari bulbs are ovoid, with light outer scales, 1.5-3.5 cm long and up to 2 cm in diameter.Leaves - basal, linear, up to 17 cm long and up to six pieces - appear in spring, but can reappear in autumn ... Muscari grow up to 30 cm in height. Their peduncle is leafless, the flowers have cylindrical, barrel-shaped or tubular perianths, consisting of six accrete petals, bent along the edge. Color - from white to dark blue, length - about 0.5 cm and the same in diameter. Flowers are collected in dense inflorescences, racemose or apical, up to 8 cm long. The fruit is a winged, three-celled capsule, spherical or heart-shaped, with small wrinkled black seeds, the germination of which lasts only for a year. This genus has two essential advantages: almost all species are decorative and, in addition, muscari are completely unpretentious.

Growing muscari in the garden

Muscari are in great demand in floriculture. They look great both in rock gardens and in decorative garden vases, and undersized varieties are successfully used for borders. Muscari are very beautiful in multi-tiered flower beds, in composition with other spring flowers: against the background of densely growing lilac-blue muscari, islands of taller, early-flowering tulips or daffodils look very impressive. The combination of blue muscari with orange hazel grouses is great.

In the photo: Pink Muscari

Like all early spring flowers, muscari bloom when there are no leaves on the trees and shrubs, so there will be enough light for them in any case. Muscari have been growing in one place for several years, so plant them next to perennials, which you will not replant every year either. The soil is best loose, fertile and permeable. It is desirable that the site be located on a hill and protected from strong winds.

Planting muscari

When to plant muscari

It is better to plant muscari in autumn, before the end of October. They are planted in groups as soon as muscari bulbs, which have been growing in one place for five years or more, are dug up. If you buy them at the store, carefully examine the shoots: they must be healthy. Sometimes in April nurseries sell seedlings of already flowering muscari in boxes, and sellers claim that they can be planted immediately in the ground. Try it.

How to plant muscari

Before planting, inspect the bulbs and remove any darkened or damaged bulbs. Disinfect the bulbs for prophylaxis: first, pickle them for half an hour in a 2% solution of Karbofos, then the same amount in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. The day before planting the muscari, water the prepared wells well, soaking the entire layer of soil through and through. Add river sand to drain each hole before planting. If the bulbs are large, they are immersed in the ground by 7 cm, and the distance between them is 5-10 cm. Small bulbs are buried by 3 cm, and the gap between the bulbs is 2-3 cm.

How to care for muscari in the garden

Caring for muscari is not difficult: this is a training plant for a novice florist. V watering muscari need only at the very beginning of the growing season, but, as a rule, at this time the soil is still wet after melting snow or spring rains. And the dormant period does not require soil moisture. If there was no snow in the winter, and the spring turned out to be dry, then there is a need for regular watering.

In the photo: Dense plantings of muscari

If the soil on the site is not too fertile, this can be corrected by feeding with organic fertilizers. With humus or compost, you can fertilize the soil in the fall when digging: for each square meter, 5 kilograms of fertilizer are consumed. Subject to the regularity of such autumn digging with organic matter, muscari can grow in one area for up to ten years. But then you will have to seat them anyway.

Flowering muscari

Muscari blooms for a little longer than three weeks, and does not require special care at this time, just loosen the soil slightly after watering, trying not to damage the bulb, remove weeds and remove wilted flowers if they spoil the appearance of your flower bed. If the quality of the flowers has deteriorated over the years, then it is time to transplant the muscari.

We grow hyacinths in the garden - do not confuse these flowers

Muscari transplant

Vegetative propagation of muscari by separating babies from the mother's bulb is carried out, as a rule, during the autumn digging, somewhere from mid to late October. When to transplant muscari, we already wrote - after 5-6 years of growth in one area, although when it is really time to dig out muscari, the type of your flower bed will tell you. Muscari bulbs are removed from the ground, the babies are separated from the mother's bulb (there can be many, up to 30 pieces) and planted in the manner described above.

Breeding muscari

In addition to the vegetative method, muscari reproduce well by self-seeding, therefore, in order to prevent uncontrolled growth of the site, it is necessary to cut off the peduncles after flowering, leaving only a few for the seeds to ripen. The collected ripe seeds, which can only sprout within a year, are sown into the ground in the fall to a depth of 1-2 cm. Next spring, thin strings of seedlings will let you know that the process of bulb formation has begun. Such a plant will bloom in 2-3 years.

In the photo: Blue Muscari

Muscari pests and diseases

Most often, muscari suffer from the mosaic caused by the yellow dwarf onion virus. Symptoms: green mosaic on the leaves, a shortened flower arrow, narrowing of the leaves and inhibition of the growth of the diseased specimen. Sometimes the plant becomes infected with the common cucumber mosaic, which is expressed with pale green strokes and spots on the deformed leaves. These viruses are transmitted by aphids and, once in the bulb, remain in it. Therefore, diseased specimens must be dug up and burned so that the infection does not spread to other plants.

There is no cure for viral diseases yet, so fight the carrier - aphids, destroy it as soon as it appears on the plants. The method is simple and has long been known: dilute 2 teaspoons of liquid soap (Gala, Fairey) in two glasses of water and spray the plant with the solution.

Sometimes a spider mite causes trouble for muscari. In the fight against it, use drugs of the avermectin group (Vertimek, Aktofit, Fitoverm) strictly according to the instructions at an air temperature of 18 ºC.

Muscari after flowering

Many growers believe that it is not necessary to take care of muscari at all: they do not get sick, they reproduce themselves, they are winter-hardy enough. But experience teaches that a good result always requires effort. As soon as the muscari have faded, you need to carefully remove the peduncles and feed them with liquid potassium-phosphorus fertilizer, which will help the bulbs to winter well. Reduce watering gradually until the leaves of the plant turn yellow and wither, and once this process is complete, do not water the plant again.

How best to plant daffodils - in detail

Autumn is the time for digging the site and transplanting muscari who have reached the age of five. If your muscari is still too young to divide and transplant, simply remove any yellowed leaves from the area. Young plantings of muscari, especially if they grow on it next to other bulbs, must be mulched with peat for the winter.

In the photo: Pink Muscari

Storing muscari bulbs

Muscari are perennial plants, moreover, they can grow in one place for up to ten years in a row. But if for any reason you decide to dig up the bulbs and store them indoors, then remember the following rules:

• you need to dig up the bulbs only when the leaves of the plants begin to dry;
• dug out bulbs need to be dried for several days, then put in peat or in wet clean sand;
• inspect and feel the bulbs once a week and immediately remove rotten, damaged or soft bulbs;
• air humidity in the storage is preferably 70%, temperature - 17 ºC.

But let us recall again: it is best to plant muscari in the fall, during the digging of the site, then it is also convenient to separate the babies from the mother's bulbs, followed by planting, so it makes no sense to store the muscari bulbs indoors until spring.

Types and varieties of muscari

Among the species, the most often cultivated is the winter-hardy Armenian Muscari, or Colchis, which blooms in late spring for three weeks. It is he who is called "mouse hyacinth". The upper flowers in its inflorescences are sterile and have a lighter shade than the lower ones, dark blue with a white border. Muscari Armenian exudes a pleasant aroma. The most popular varieties are:

• Muscari Terry Blue Spike- exceptionally beautiful due to its multifloral nature (up to 170 flowers in an uviform inflorescence), unpretentious, can be used for cutting.
• Christmas Pearl- with very beautiful purple flowers;
• Fantasy Creation- very beautiful due to the combination of blue and blue-green shades.

In the photo: Muscari armeniacum

The muscari species is found in the alpine belt of Southern and Central Europe, it is one of the most popular in culture since 1576. The flowers of the aciniform are smaller than those of the Armenian. In addition to the varieties of the usual blue hue, there are two garden varieties:

• var. album- white muscari, clusters, as if from pearls;
• var. carneum- a kind of pink.

In the photo: Muscari uviform (Muscari botryoides)

Muscari broadleaf (Muscari latifolium)

It differs in wide, like a tulip, leaves and dense cylindrical inflorescences of dark blue color, and also in that one bulb can give several peduncles.

And other spring flowers. It has a root rosette of long narrow leaves from which a peduncle grows. The inflorescence consists of many small barrel-shaped flowers. The flowering period is about a month.

A very unpretentious and decorative flower, it is not difficult to grow it, observing some rules.

Care rules

It must be planted in such a way that the bulbs do not get wet. The choice of soil is unpretentious, as long as it is not heavy, clayey and does not retain moisture.

It should be borne in mind that on fertile soils, muscari forms a larger bulb and blooms more profusely.

The plant needs abundant watering at the beginning of the growing season, in the future it tolerates drought well.

It grows well in a bright sunny place, forming whole glades. Worse - in partial shade.

Prefers organic fertilizing. Usually, top dressing is applied directly to the soil before planting the bulbs or before flowering, during the active growing season. To make the curtain with the plant look neat, the faded inflorescences are removed.

They are planted, separating part of the daughter bulbs together with a clod of earth, and transferred to a new place.

The division time is determined by the appearance of the curtain - the plants begin to jam each other, the flowers and leaves become smaller.

As a rule, the division is carried out every 3-4 years.

After flowering, the inflorescences must be removed. The green leaves must dry out and turn yellow before you remove them. They will make it possible for daughter bulbs to form and accumulate nutrients for the wintering of the plant.

Muscari are almost immune to disease. The leaves are occasionally infected with a mosaic virus that does not respond to treatment. Plants infected with the mosaic virus must be destroyed so as not to infect all planting material. Thrips sometimes attacks the bulbs. But this problem is solved by treatment with a systemic drug against pests.

Only mice cause serious harm., which severely damage juicy bulbs. Mice have to be fought with mechanical methods, placing scarers or mouse traps.

Often the plant is grown on. In this case, it is cut only after the leaves have completely dried out. Otherwise, the bulbs will not form, crushed and eventually disappear.

The bright blue muscari flowers go well with yellow and white daffodils and tulips. While shaping, you can pick up several interesting color compositions from spring flowers.

Reproduction methods

Like all bulbous, muscari can be propagated in several ways:

However, if you do decide to grow muscari from seeds, let the seed pods ripen. Seeds are sown in the fall in open ground, the seeding depth is about a centimeter. Can be planted in spring, in pots, for seedlings. In this case, they must first be stratified. After germination, the seedlings are planted in fertile soil, watered and fertilized abundantly.

When is the best time to dig up and plant the bulbs?

Planting and transplanting is mainly carried out in the fall. Best period for this October. Muscari bulbs do not need storage like tulips. They tolerate winter well, do not freeze, and grow safely in one place for many years.

However, if you do decide to dig up and save the bulbs, there are a few guidelines to follow:

• it is better to dig up the plants during the dry period. It is necessary that before this at least 2 weeks there was dry weather, otherwise the bulbs will pick up moisture and rot;
• after digging, the bulbs are dried for several days;
• they must be stored in clean, damp sand in a cellar or refrigerator;
• from time to time it is required to monitor their condition and remove rotten, soft and damaged ones.

Some flower farms and shops offer flowering muscari in containers in the spring. Such plants can also be planted in a previously prepared flower bed.

How to plant: step by step instructions

Due to the length and complexity of seed breeding, plants are most often planted with bulbs. In this case, the following rules are adhered to:

1. Having bought the bulbs, inspect them. If they have rot, mold and mechanical damage - such material is not suitable for planting.
2. Treat with fungicide before planting. This rule applies to planting material purchased in the markets. In specialized stores, already processed plants are sold.
3. Plants are usually planted in groups, so the distance is 5-10 cm.
4. The planting depth of the bulbs depends on their size - the larger, the deeper they are planted. The maximum depth is 7-8 cm; small children are planted to a depth of 1.5 cm.
5. The site for planting is dug up, if necessary, it is drained.
6. Compost or humus is added.
7. Immediately before planting, the soil is moistened abundantly.
8. The lawn can be brightened by removing some of the top layer of the lawn and tilling the soil. After planting, the top layer is put back in place. You can use a suitable tool to pierce holes in the lawn in which to plant the bulbs.

Popular species and varieties

Due to its unpretentiousness, early flowering and an extraordinary rich blue color, muscari is very popular with flower growers and breeders.

Whole "rivers" and "lakes" are formed in parks from unpretentious blue flowers.

Many varieties have been developed that enjoy well-deserved success. The basis of the variety of muscari is formed by numerous species and varieties of plants:

1. Groovid- European species, distributed in the subalpine zone. One of its varieties - Album has an elongated inflorescence, colored white. Blooms very early.
2. Armenian, The most common. In the wild, it is found in the Caucasus, the Balkans, Turkey. There are many interesting varieties of this variety:
   • Blue Spike- late, profusely flowering, fragrant, lush inflorescences of bright blue color;
   • White Rose Beauty- lush inflorescence with white-pink flowers;
   • Pink Sunrise- dense inflorescence with an unusual pink color;
   • Fantasy Creation- at the beginning of flowering, double flowers are green, then turn blue;
   • Superstar- blue flowers with a white border, a very beautiful contrasting variety.

1. Broadleaf- its leaves resemble tulip leaves. Flowers are painted in a full range of blue and purple shades.
2. Large-fruited- the species is common in the Balkans. Very unusual popular variety Golden Fragrans- purple in color with a brown border.

An unusual flower, of all shades of sky and sea, will allow you to create a unique color composition on your spring flower bed and will delight you with its unpretentiousness.

Muscari (Muscari) looks similar to small hyacinths. Belongs to small-bulbous perennial plants of the Asparagaceae family.

Leaves are elongated, lanceolate, collected in a basal rosette. Height is from 10 to 40 cm. The stem, in essence, is an elongated bulb. During the growing season, it accumulates a supply of nutrients.

Important: Oval bulbs are small - up to 2 cm. By the end of the growing season, a whole clump of plants will grow from one bulb, and up to 30 babies are formed on the mother bulb.

Muscari easily tolerates winter and feels great outdoors without shelter. Loved by gardeners for unpretentiousness, early flowering, ease of care and breeding. The bulbs of a perennial blooming in early spring doze off in the ground until the next season, requiring little or no maintenance.

Planting muscari in the ground

In nature, the flower is propagated by seeds. Cultivars are preferable to plant with bulbs.

Bulb planting is carried out as follows:

1. Bulbs for sowing are sorted out. Discarded darkened, with signs of mold, damaged.
2. To prevent diseases and pests, the bulbs are soaked for half an hour in a 2% solution of karbofos, then for the same time in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. You can do without karbofos by keeping the planting material in potassium permanganate for about an hour or by treating it with any fungicide for flowers, for example, phytosporin.
3. The site is dug up in advance, at the same time adding compost (5 kg / m²).
4. Muscari are planted in groups of 10-30 onions in one place.
5. The day before planting, holes or grooves are prepared for bulbs up to 7 cm deep, 2-3 cm are enough for small bulbs.Pour 2 cm of drainage mixture (coarse river sand, small pebbles, expanded clay, clay shards with the addition of a small amount land).
6. The distance between the holes, depending on the size of the bulbs, the design idea, the desired density, the flower beds are kept 2-3 cm for small planting material and 4-10 cm for large ones.
7. A layer of soil above the bulbs 1-2 cm.
8. Plantings are watered abundantly with warm water.

Important. Flowers are often used in landscaping and landscaping city streets. To decorate a large array, 100-200 bulbs are used per square meter. About 8 cm of sod is removed from the site, the earth is loosened, compost is introduced, and carefully leveled. The bulbs are easily pressed into the soil and covered with the removed sod layer. Watering.

Seed planting is not practiced in amateur floriculture. Breeding stations and large producers of planting material are engaged in it. When planted with seeds, muscari flowers bloom after three years.

Muscari are planted after the end of the growing season - in the fall.

In spring, you can plant already flowering plants grown in specialized nurseries, or obtained by forcing yourself.

Muscari is undemanding to the soil. More abundant and prolonged flowering, the formation of baby bulbs and growth will be on light fertile weakly acidic soils with a pH of 5.8-6.5 with good aerobic and moisture-permeable properties.

Important. An excess of soil moisture is destructive for muscari. It should not be planted on clay soils, in areas with a close occurrence of groundwater and accumulation of melt or rainwater, lowlands.

In the conditions of the Central regions of Russia, the Urals, Siberia, the Far East, the best time for planting muscari is from the end of August to November at a soil temperature of + 18 ° C. Then, before the start of frost, the bulbs will have time to take root. For a more successful "engraftment", the bulbs are preliminarily kept for several days in a cool place with t + 9-10 ° C.

Wild muscari grow on mountain slopes, in the steppe, in dry meadows and forest edges, in shrub thickets.

In gardens, they are allocated sunny areas and places with average illumination rates, planted to decorate the plantings of ornamental and berry bushes. Considering that muscari bloom very early, they can be planted under deciduous trees that will not have time to shade the plantings.

Muscari is very useful for landscaping. It looks great next to other primroses (forsythia, crocuses, tulips, daffodils, stonecrop, crocuses, lilies of the valley, chionodox). It can be planted between the roots of peonies and among the overgrown astilbes, hosts, violets, aquilegia.

After flowering, the leaves of the muscari dry up, this place is sown with annuals.

During flowering, muscari requires high humidity. At a rate below 60%, the flowers are gently sprayed with warm water. During dormancy, the plant easily tolerates drought.

Muscari does not require special watering. He needs moisture only at the beginning of the growing season and during flowering, which occur in the spring, when the soil is moistened after the snow has melted. Flowers are watered only in winters with little snow and dry springs.

During the formation of the bulbs, watering is not needed, excess moisture can only harm. Watering is completely stopped after two weeks from the beginning of budding.

Fertilizing and fertilizing a flower

Although muscari grows on any soil, top dressing will not hurt him. With the regular introduction of compost or humus in the fall, it pleases with the brightness and abundance of flowers, juicy greens. Half a bucket is enough for 1m².

After the leaves have completely wilted, the plantings are fed with any potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.

Do I need to prune the plant?

As soon as the last flowers wither, the dried muscari inflorescences are cut off. The ripening process of the seeds weakens the plants, and the abundant self-seeding clogs the neighboring flower beds.

Do not cut off or mow dying leaves, this will prevent the plant from actively accumulating nutrients for the winter.

Important. Like any cultivated plant, muscari needs weeding and shallow loosening.

On a well-groomed area with fertile land, a muscari transplant is required no more than once every 5-10 years, but usually heavily overgrown thickets, when signs of degeneration appear, are planted 3-4 years after planting.

Plants are relocated from late August to November, in rare cases in the summer after flowering. During flowering, bulbs that are clearly visible during this period are marked. In the fall, they are dug up and with an earthen lump, placed in prepared holes, watered.

Breeding muscari

Lovers propagate muscari vegetatively. For division, bulbs are taken from plants that have grown in one place for at least 2 and no more than 5 years. They are carefully dug out after the leaves have completely wilted or in autumn, the children are carefully separated and planted in the usual way. Plants obtained from daughter bulbs bloom in the second year.

• the bulbs are dried for several days;
• laid out in boxes with peat or wet river sand;
• rotted, damaged and soft bulbs are regularly examined and discarded;
• Temperature range + 17ºC. Indoor humidity should be around 70%.

Seed propagation is rarely used, as a rule, for selection, cultivation on an industrial scale. In strong plants, flower stalks are left with seed pods. Seeds collected only from the lower shoots are sown in grooves 1-2 cm deep. In the spring, thin shoots will appear and the formation of the bulb will begin, which will last 3 years.

In industrial greenhouses, the seedling propagation method is also used. It is difficult to repeat it at home. Seeds require stratification before planting. It is important to choose high-quality soil, carefully observe the humidity regime, and maintain the optimum air temperature. Even with the most careful care, the percentage of germination and survival of seedlings on the windowsill is not high.

Flowering muscari

Muscari are ephemeroids (short-flowering). Bloom from April to mid-June. Timing and duration depend on the climatic zone and variety.

Duration of flowering up to 3 weeks. Muscari flowers in the form of a cylinder or bell with curved teeth are collected in small dense clusters up to 8 cm long. Blue-violet muscari are found in nature. The colors of varietal plants are more varied - white, blue, lilac, yellowish.

Problems, diseases and pests in the flower

It is a little susceptible to disease. However, it may suffer from onion or cucumber mosaics. It is transmitted by aphids from diseased plants. The infected plants are dug up and burned. Aphids are destroyed by spraying the plants with a solution of 2 teaspoons of antibacterial liquid soap and 2 glasses of water.

In the case of a spider mite appearing on the flowerbed, avermectin preparations are used (Avertin, Fitverm, Vertimek, Acorin, Aversectin).

Important. Muscari contains toxic substances, working with it, you should follow the safety rules: do not eat, wear gloves.

The toxic flower scares away many pests from the flower garden and enriches the soil. After transplanting, roses, daffodils, peonies grow beautifully in its place. Bouquets of muscari, placed in the house, drive away mosquitoes, midges, flies.

In the genus Muscari, there are from 40 to 60 species. Most famous among gardeners:

• Armenian (Colchis) muscari with large blue, white inflorescences. He is the most winter hardy. Its varieties are popular: multi-flowered (up to 170 bells in a bunch) Blue Spike, blue with shades of blue-green Fantasy Creation, purple Christmas Pearl, pale blue Azureu, Cantab, Sapphire.
• Muscari Tubergena or Muscari Oshe with a two-color inflorescence. The upper bells are blue, the lower ones are darker blue. The varieties Blue Magic, White Magic, Ocean Magic are in demand.
• Cultivars of Grozny muscari are white (Album) or pink (Carneum).
• A racemose muscari. It is distinguished by its purple color.
• Crested muscari. They are white.
• Broad-leaved or Latifolium has wide leaves, one bulb often throws out several peduncles.
• The undersized light blue Pale Muscari has a pale pink White Rose Beauty in its varietal line.
• Muscari Crested or Muscari plumosum (Muscari comosum plumosum) with terry tuft-inflorescences of purple, lilac, lilac, colors on curved pedicels.

Muscari are most afraid of mice, which often damage the bulbs. There are many ways to control rodents:

• plant next to muscari plants that repel rodents - daffodils, hazel grouses, black root (cinoglossum);
• before planting, spray the onions with kerosene or spread them with balsamic liniment (Vishnevsky's ointment);
• sprinkle generously with plantings with red pepper;
• regularly water the flower bed with a decoction of valerian roots;
• fill minks with stones, throw special smoke bombs at them;
• to lay out poisoned quick-action baits on the sites.

Answers to readers' questions

Plant lifespan?

Muscari perennials. With proper care, they can live up to 10 years in one place without a transplant.

Why doesn't the flower bloom?

Most likely these are old, heavily overgrown plantings with bulbs that have sunk deep into the ground. Transplant required.

How to care for a flower in winter?

Muscari tolerate winter well, do not need shelter. The broadleaf muscari and muscari of Osh are mulched before wintering.

In regions with severe frosts, fresh plantings are sheltered.

A perennial plant called muscari can beautify any area. This unpretentious flower is very easy to plant and even easier to care for in the garden. It is often used to create rock gardens and various design compositions. In addition to its beauty, the flower also has a pleasant aroma that lasts for three weeks of flowering.

Types and varieties

Muscari belongs to the genus of perennial bulbous plants of the asparagus family, however, earlier the flower belonged to the hyacinth family. Muscari have several other names, such as viper bow and mouse hyacinth. Today there are about 60 species of this plant. Muscari flowers can grow on mountain slopes and forest edges. Most often, the plant is grown on the sides of a small hill. Flowers are miniature and sophisticated, they are used to decorate lawns, rock gardens, and also used to decorate paths and borders. They have a strong, pleasant scent.

The muscari flower bulbs are ovoid with light-colored scales. The bulb is 1.5-3.5 centimeters long and up to 2 centimeters in diameter. The plant has long basal leaves that grow up to 17 centimeters. Muscari reaches an average of 30 centimeters in height. The palette is more common from white to dark blue. The flowers are collected in a racemose inflorescence up to 8 centimeters long. Now the most popular types are:

Muscari Armenian

Flowering begins in late spring and lasts 3 weeks. This particular variety is called mouse hyacinth. Above, there are flowers of a light shade, and below are inflorescences of a dark blue color with a white rim. Has a very pleasant smell. The most famous varieties of this type are: Blue Spike, Christmas Pearl, Fantasy Creation.

Muscari uviform

Most often found in Southern and Central Europe. The flowers are much smaller than those of the Armenian muscari. They are usually blue in color, but there are two garden varieties: white and pink muscari.

Muscari pale

Usually this type of flower grows on the slopes of the mountains and blooms in small blue bells. The most popular variety for home breeding is White Rose Beauty.

Muscari crested

Occurs in dry meadows and forest edges. On the peduncle there are purple flowers. Looks great on lawns and lawns, especially among the grass. Plumozum is a popular variety.

In addition to these well-known species, there are others: ambrosia muscari, strange muscari, dense-flowered muscari, long-flowered muscari, multi-flowered muscari.

When and how to plant

Muscari are small-bulbous flowers, they begin to be planted in open ground in late August or early autumn. The flower prefers a sunny or shaded area. But it is best if the plant is planted on some kind of small hill, since if the water suddenly stagnates in the soil, the muscari bulbs will very quickly die in the soil.

The soil should be loose, muscari will not take root in clay soil.

Before planting muscari, you need to prepare the ground in advance. To do this, it should be fertilized with organic fertilizer. It can be compost or humus. These fertilizers will help the bulbs grow quickly. They will become large, therefore, the flowers will be much larger. With regular feeding, muscari can grow in one place for up to 10 years. After that, it will need to be transplanted.

Muscari bulbs are small enough, so you don't have to dig individual holes, but make a trench right away, the depth of which should be about 8 centimeters. It is advisable to make the distance between the bulbs no more than 10 centimeters. Be sure to sprinkle a little earth on top.

Features of flower care in the garden

Muscari is an unpretentious plant, beginners will have no difficulties both in planting and in outdoor care. Here's what care muscari needs in the garden:

• Watering... If the spring has been dry, regular watering is necessary. But under normal weather conditions, muscari usually needs watering at the beginning of the growing season. Until this time, moisture will be enough for him, especially after the snow melts and spring rains;
• Loosening... The soil should be loosened slightly after watering. This should be done carefully so as not to damage the bulb. Remove weeds and wilted flowers regularly;
• Disease and Pest Control... Muscari suffers most from the mosaic caused by the yellow dwarf onion virus. These viruses are transmitted by aphids, and once in the bulb, they remain there. There is no cure for this disease. It is necessary to immediately fight aphids as soon as they appear on the plant. To do this, you need to dilute 2 teaspoons of liquid soap in two glasses of water. This solution should be sprayed on the plant. There is another disease called spider mite. It must be fought with drugs such as: Vertimek, Fitoverm. Follow everything clearly according to the instructions on the package.

Muscari after flowering

As soon as the muscari have faded, it is necessary to carefully remove the peduncles and feed the plants with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. This will help the bulbs to withstand frost easily. Watering should be gradually reduced. Towards the end of September, the leaves will begin to turn yellow and wither. As soon as this process is complete, you need to stop watering the plants. In the fall, it is worth digging up and replanting those muscari who have already reached the age of five. If they are still young, you just need to remove the yellow leaves. Be sure to mulch young plants for the winter with peat.

Storing the bulbs

Despite the fact that muscari can grow and delight gardeners for ten years in one place, many summer residents dig up the bulbs and store them indoors. To do this, you must follow some rules:

• You can dig up the muscari bulbs only when the leaves of the plant begin to dry;
• Then the bulbs must be dried for 2-3 days, put in peat or wet, clean sand;
• Once a week, it is worth inspecting the bulbs and removing rotten and damaged ones;
• The temperature in the room where the bulbs are stored should be 17 degrees, and the humidity should be 70%.

It makes no sense to store Muscari until spring, it is best to plant this flower in the fall, at the time when the site is being digged. During this period, it is possible to separate the babies from the mother's bulb, followed by seeding.