When can muscari be transplanted. Muscari - planting, growing and care

Muscari is a perennial herbaceous plant that is ideal for decorating a spring garden. Its dense blue inflorescences among bright green foliage form a continuous canopy on the still bare and black earth. Muscari belongs to the Asparagus family. In the people, it is better known under the names "viper onion" or "mouse hyacinth". The plant is native to the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Many species successfully grow and winter in temperate climates and colder regions. Caring for the plant is very simple. A few rules will help not only to achieve beautiful thickets, but also to independently choose the time of flowering.

plant description

Muscari is a small-bulbous perennial 10-40 cm high. The underground part of its stem is an oblong bulb 3.5-5 cm long and 2-4 cm in diameter. The bulb is ovoid and covered with thin white scales. A bunch of thin roots grows on its bottom.

In early spring, the plant forms a rosette of linear dark green leaves 17-20 cm long. Each bulb grows 2-6 leaves. They have a narrow linear or oval shape with a solid edge and a pointed end. There is no drawing on the surface of the sheet.

The flowering period, depending on the variety and weather conditions, begins from late March to early June. It lasts 1-2 weeks. At first, a fleshy, upright peduncle grows from the center of the leaf rosette. It is cylindrical in shape and light green in color. Closer to the flowers, the stem acquires a pinkish-purple hue.

The racemose inflorescence consists of many small flowers located close to each other. Its length is 7-8 cm. A separate flower with a corolla corolla resembles a lily of the valley in structure. The edges of the petals of barrel-like flowers are strongly bent and divided into 6 lobes. The color is white, lilac, blue, blue or purple. Sometimes there is a contrast border along the edge. During the flowering period, most varieties exude an intense musky aroma.

The inflorescence begins to bloom from the lower flowers. On top are sterile buds designed to attract insects. Bees and butterflies extract nectar from the tube with their proboscis and pollinate the ovary. After pollination, a fruit is formed in the form of a spherical or heart-shaped seed box with fleshy walls. Inside are small dark brown seeds.

Types and varieties of Muscari

The Muscari genus combines 44 plant species. Some of them have become widespread in landscape design and have several decorative varieties.

The most common variety among gardeners blooms large multi-flowered (up to 50 buds) inflorescences. Flowering begins in mid-May. Bright blue flowers last up to three weeks. The length of one flower is about 5 mm. A narrow white border is visible along the very edge of the petals. They exude a pleasant aroma. Varieties:

• Alba - blooms snow-white flowers;
• Sapphire - blooms with dark blue buds, but does not set seeds;
• Blue Spike - each pedicel branches 2-3 times, so the inflorescence seems larger and more lush, it consists of 150-170 blue buds.

A plant 15-20 cm high is distinguished by a particularly lush inflorescence of an unusual shape. The length of the spike is 5-8 cm. Larger and brighter pedicels grow on one side of the flowers, forming a tuft on the inflorescence. All buds are painted in blue-violet tones. Flowering begins at the end of May. Gradually, the arrow grows and by the end of flowering, its length reaches 70 cm.

A bulbous plant with a height of no more than 15 cm at the end of the arrow forms a dense spike-shaped inflorescence. Small buds are painted in a white or pinkish hue and tightly pressed against each other. Varieties:

• Album - with snow-white flowers;
• Carneum - pale pink flowers grow closely together in the inflorescence.

From the base of each bulb, broad, tulip-like leaves sprout. They are painted in a single dark green color. On one plant, several peduncles with small dark blue barrel-shaped buds may appear.

Reproduction methods

Muscari is propagated by seeds and vegetatively. There are varieties for which only one of the listed options is possible. During seed propagation, varietal characteristics are not transmitted. It should be borne in mind that after 12 months of storage, seed germination is significantly reduced. They are sown immediately in open ground, in holes 1-2 cm deep. During the winter, the seeds will undergo natural stratification and the first shoots will appear in early spring. For several months, the seedlings form a bulb and increase the green mass. Flowering begins from the second or third year of life.

The easiest and most common method of reproduction is the separation of children (young onions). Fortunately, in just a season there are several of them. It is not necessary to separate children every year. It is better to let them grow up and gain strength in 3-4 years. The best time for dividing and transplanting is in August-September. In the south, the procedure is planned for October-November. Depending on the size of the bulbs, the planting depth is 4-6 cm.

Care Secrets

Landing. It is best to transplant plants at the end of flowering and vegetation (August-October). They are distributed in groups of up to 10-15 pieces, but there should be free space between individual bulbs. So the flower garden will be more decorative and noticeable. Before planting, the bulbs are inspected for damage, rotten and dark areas are cut off and disinfected. First, they are pickled in a solution of "Karbofos", and then dipped in a strong solution of manganese for an hour.

The landing site should be sunny or in partial shade. The soil is first dug up and large clods are broken. Landing pits at a distance of 6-8 cm are made shallow (up to 8 cm). Small onions are planted in a shady place in rows in the holes. First, sand is poured into the hole on top of the ground, and then the planting material is laid out strictly vertically. The bulbs are sprinkled with soil, rammed and watered well.

There is no need to dig up the muscari every year. Plants overwinter well in temperate climates, but every 4-5 years the plantings become too dense. They need thinning and renewal of the topsoil.

Care. Regular care of muscari in the open field includes watering. The soil should always be slightly moist, but without stagnant water, otherwise the bulbs will rot. In the absence of precipitation, irrigation is carried out in the morning.

In early spring, plants are fertilized with compost or humus. The first feeding is carried out when sprouts appear. Re-fertilization is planned for the period of budding. While the muscari is in bloom, it is enough to occasionally weed the soil near the flower garden.

Ripe seeds are very easy to spill onto the ground, contributing to abundant self-sowing. To prevent it, after the buds wither, the inflorescences are cut off.

Wintering. Muscari has pronounced periods of activity and rest. Already at the beginning of summer, the inflorescences completely dry out, but the leaves remain until frost. It is not recommended to cut them ahead of time, since at this time there is a supply of nutrients in the bulbs. In winter, during the dormant period, the need for watering disappears. Dry sprouts are cut off, and the surface of the soil is mulched with peat and sprinkled with dry foliage.

Forcing bulbs

You can please yourself with fragrant inflorescences at any time of the year. To do this, artificially create conditions for flowering muscari. Immediately after the leaves wither, the bulbs are dug up and dried in a cool room. Then they are put into containers with peat or sand for storage. Initially, the air temperature is maintained at +15…+17°C. After a few weeks, the bulbs are transferred to a room with a temperature of +5 ... + 9 ° C for 3-4 months. You can use the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator.

Approximately 3 weeks before the expected flowering, the bulbs are planted in pots with fertile, loose soil to a depth of about 2 cm. The top should remain on the surface. Plants are transferred to a well-lit place with a temperature of about +10°C. After a couple of days, the temperature is raised to +15°C. After that, the leaves actively grow, and after 2 weeks a peduncle appears.

Muscari use

Mouse hyacinth is cultivated mainly for decorative purposes. They are framed by flower beds, paths, and also planted in rock gardens and in front of shrubs. The rich hues of the inflorescences enrich the spring garden with pure blues, purples, pinks or whites.

Muscari looks good next to daffodils and tulips. They can also be combined with crocuses and blueberries. Be sure to plant a large group of plants with different shades of inflorescences and flowering periods. Some varieties are suitable for growing in containers on balconies and verandas. The aroma of flowering muscari repels harmful insects, so they are often planted among other crops as a natural insecticide.

Muscari is similar in appearance to small hyacinths. It belongs to small-bulbous perennial plants of the Asparagus family (Asparagaceae).

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

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

Muscari easily tolerates winter and feels great in open ground without shelter. We love gardeners for unpretentiousness, early flowering, ease of care and breeding. Bulbs, a perennial that blooms in early spring, doze in the ground until the next season, requiring little or no care.

Planting Muscari in the ground

In nature, the flower reproduces by seeds. Cultivars are preferably planted with bulbs.

Planting bulbs is carried out as follows:

1. Bulbs for sowing are sorted out. Discard 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, while adding compost (5 kg / m²).
4. Muscari is planted in groups of 10-30 bulbs in one place.
5. The day before planting, holes or grooves are prepared for bulbs up to 7 cm deep, for small bulbs 2-3 cm is enough. 2 cm of drainage mixture (coarse-grained river sand, small pebbles, expanded clay, clay shards with the addition of a small land).
6. The distance between the holes, depending on the size of the bulbs, the design idea, the desired density of the flower bed, is maintained at 2-3 cm for small planting material and 4-10 cm for large.
7. The layer of soil above the bulbs is 1-2 cm.
8. Landings are abundantly watered with warm water.

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

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

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

In the 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, slightly acidic soils with a pH of 5.8-6.5 with good aerobic and moisture-permeable properties.

Important. For muscari, excess soil moisture is detrimental. It should not be planted on clay soils, in areas with close 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 planting time for muscari is the period from late August to November at a soil temperature of + 18 ° C. Then, before the onset 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 the slopes of mountains, in the steppe, in dry meadows and edges, in bushes.

In the gardens, they are given sunny areas and places with average levels of illumination, planted to decorate 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 convenient for use in landscape design. It looks great next to other primroses (forsythia, crocuses, tulips, daffodils, stonecrops, crocuses, lilies of the valley, chionodox). It can be planted between the roots of peonies and among overgrown astilbes, hosts, violets, aquilegia.

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

Muscari requires high humidity during flowering. At an indicator 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 spring, when the soil is moistened after the snow melts. Flowers are watered only in winter with little snow and dry spring.

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

Flower nutrition and fertilizer

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 brightness and abundance of flowers, juicy greenery. Half a bucket is enough for 1m².

After complete wilting of the planting leaves, they 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 process of seed ripening weakens plants, and abundant self-seeding clogs neighboring flower beds.

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

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

On a well-groomed plot 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 moved from late August to November, in rare cases in the summer after flowering. During flowering, onions are marked, clearly visible during this period. In autumn they are dug up with an earthen clod, placed in prepared holes, watered.

Muscari breeding

Fans 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 up after the leaves have completely withered or in the fall, 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;
• regularly inspect and discard rotten, damaged and soft bulbs;
• Temperature regime + 17ºC. Humidity in the room should be around 70%.

Reproduction by seeds is rarely used, as a rule, for selection, cultivation on an industrial scale. Strong plants leave flower stalks with seed pods. Seeds collected only from the lower shoots are sown in grooves 1-2 cm deep. Thin shoots will appear in the spring and bulb formation will begin, which will last 3 years.

In industrial greenhouses, seedling propagation is also used. It is difficult to repeat 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.

Muscari flowering

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

Flowering time up to 3 weeks. Muscari flowers in the form of a cylinder or a 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 diverse - white, blue, lilac, yellowish.

Problems, diseases and pests in a flower

Few diseases. However, it may suffer from onion or cucumber mosaic. It is transmitted by aphids from diseased plants. Infected plants are dug up and burned. Aphids are killed by spraying the plants with a solution of 2 teaspoons of antibacterial liquid soap and 2 cups of water.

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

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

A toxic flower repels many pests from the flower garden and enriches the soil. After transplantation, roses, daffodils, peonies grow beautifully in its place. Muscari bouquets placed in the house drive away mosquitoes, midges, flies.

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

• Armenian (Colchian) muscari with large blue, white inflorescences. It 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-tone color of the inflorescence. The upper bells are blue, the lower ones are darker blue. The varieties Blue Magic, White Magic, Ocean Magic are in demand.
• Muscari cultivars are white (Album) or pink (Carneum).
• Raceme muscari. It stands out in purple.
• Tufted Muscari. They have a white color.
• Broadleaf or Latifolium has wide leaves, one bulb often throws out several peduncles.
• Undersized light blue Pale Muscari has in its varietal line and pale pink White Rose Beauty.
• Muscari Crested or Muscari Plumozum (Muscari comosum plumosum) with terry tufted inflorescences of purple, lilac, lilac, colors on curved pedicels.

Muscaris 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 grouse, black root (cynoglossum);
• before planting, spray the bulbs with kerosene or smear them with balsamic liniment (Vishnevsky's ointment);
• sprinkle generously with red pepper;
• regularly water the flower bed with a decoction of valerian roots;
• fill the minks with stones, throw special smoke bombs at them;
• lay out poisoned fast-acting baits on the plots.

Answers to questions from readers

Plant lifespan?

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

Why doesn't the flower bloom?

Most likely these are old heavily overgrown plantings with bulbs that have gone deep into the ground. Requires a transplant.

How to care for a flower in winter?

Muscari tolerate winter well, do not need shelter. Broad-leaved muscari and Oshe muscari are mulched before wintering.

In regions with severe frosts, fresh plantings cover.

One of the most beautiful and popular types of plants for decorating garden plots is muscari. Planting and caring for this flower is not difficult. Subject to certain rules, you can get excellent results both in the garden and at home. Indoor floriculture is popular in many countries of the world. Growing muscari on a windowsill or balcony is not too burdensome. Long flowering will delight with magnificent flowers and a delicate musky aroma.

Spreading

Muscari (see photo below) has a very wide distribution area around the globe. Prefers to grow on mountain slopes, forest edges, alpine meadows. It can be found in the steppe regions of Europe, Asia, North Africa.

There are about 60 types of flower. On their basis, cultivars were developed that are widely used in horticulture. Not spared their attention and indoor floriculture. Many varieties grow well indoors.

Description

Muscari has several other names: viper onion, mouse hyacinth. It belongs to the hyacinth family, the bulbous genus. This is a perennial herb. Depending on the variety, the height ranges from 3 to 30 cm. Almost all cultivated species are decorative.

Basal leaves in an amount of 2 to 6 pieces grow up to 10-15 cm. The flowers are barrel-shaped or tubular, small. Consist of six tightly fused petals. The color is different, from white to deep purple, there are combined colors: dark blue with white.

The flowers are collected in dense racemose apical inflorescences up to 8 cm long. The number of flowers varies depending on the species: from a few to several dozen. The aroma is strong and pleasant, reminiscent of musk, but much softer.

The fruit is a winged, three-celled, angular capsule. Seeds wrinkled, small, black, rounded. Do not lose the ability to germinate during the year.

Kinds

Muscari flowers can have a different color, it depends on the plant variety. Consider the most popular:

Number of leaves - 3-7;

Height - up to 20 cm;

The color of the buds is deep blue, and the edges are framed with a thin white stripe;

Flowering time - about three weeks, from the end of May.

2. Muscari pale:

The number of leaves - 2-3;

Height - up to 30 cm;

The color of the buds is pale blue;

Flowering time - about three weeks, from mid-May.

3. Muscari grape:

Number of leaves - 2-6;

Height - up to 25 cm;

The color of the buds is dark blue or white;

Flowering time - up to three weeks, in early May.

4. Muscari racemose:

The number of leaves - 6;

Height - up to 30 cm;

The color of the buds is deep dark blue;

Flowering time - about three weeks, from the first half of May.

5. Muscari broadleaf:

The number of leaves - up to 4;

Height - up to 20 cm;

The color of the buds is dark purple, one third at the top has lighter corollas;

Flowering time - about four weeks, from mid-May.

Landing

Muscari bulbs begin to be planted in late August or early September. Choose a sunny place, maybe with a little shading. It must be elevated to avoid stagnant water. Too much moisture will cause the bulbs to rot. Gravel is often used as drainage.

The soil should be loose, in no case clay. In such a plant will not take root. Before planting, the soil must be fertilized with humus or compost. Top dressing will strengthen young shoots and ensure the appearance of large and bright flowers.

For planting, healthy muscari bulbs are pre-selected. Planting and caring for them is easy. They make a trench up to 8 cm deep. Bulbs are planted at a distance of 6-10 cm and sprinkled with earth. If the planting material is very shallow, then the planting depth is reduced to 3 cm, and the distance between the bulbs is reduced to 2 cm.

In order for plants to grow and develop well, at first they will need help. It consists in weeding the flower beds from weeds.

Muscari can also be propagated by seeds. They ripen only in the lower flowers. They are collected on the already faded stems of the plant. Seeds are sown to a depth of 1-2 cm in autumn. In the spring, leaves appear, they indicate the emergence of a new bulb. After a couple of years, flowering will begin.

But planting bulbs is much easier, and they begin to bloom earlier. In a short period of time, there are a lot of children. When to dig up muscari, each gardener decides for himself. You can transplant them at any time, including during the flowering period. This should be done carefully, with a large clod of earth, to avoid damage to the roots.

These plants are prone to self-seeding. Planting thickening appears after 3-4 years. Thinning is recommended in August-October.

Care

When planting some special top dressing is not required. It will be quite enough to feed in the fall, when digging the soil. Approximately 5 kg of organic fertilizers are applied per square meter.

During the growing season, the plant is abundantly watered with warm rainwater. High humidity at this time is very good for muscari. Planting and care following it will not cause much trouble: weeding from weeds and shallow loosening (2-3 cm).

After flowering, Muscari does not need watering at all. After the flowering period, the clusters are cut. The leaves are left intact, they will help the bulbs gain enough strength to bloom next year.

Bright and varied shades of plant inflorescences are used by landscape designers with pleasure when decorating garden plots. Muscari (see the photo of the flower bed sample in the text) goes well with daffodils and tulips.

Long early spring flowering (some varieties decorate the flower bed for about four weeks) gives free rein to the imagination for decorating the site. Experts take into account another feature of different varieties - the beginning of flowering does not coincide with them. With careful selection, you can ensure the beauty of the flower bed for a long time.

They decorate alpine slides, borders, wild stone compositions, around small ponds. Neighborhood with begonias, tricolor violets, lobularia will help hide the wilting of muscari. In one place, unpretentious flowers can grow up to 10 years.

Garden on the windowsill

The absence of a summer cottage will not become an obstacle for an amateur grower to grow muscari. Planting and care at home will not cause problems even for beginners.

There are several tricks to get the desired result:

• "cold preservation" - the bulbs are placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 months before planting in a pot;
• in pots at the bottom arrange drainage from large pebbles;
• the soil is taken as fertile and oily as possible;
• plants need diffused sunlight;
• provide high humidity;
• soil irrigation is carried out as the soil dries;
• for a visual effect, you need to occupy as many pots as possible with flowers.

A miniature, neat, compact flower mouse hyacinth captivates with its amazing, elegant delicate inflorescences. When all nature is still sleeping or just waking up after the snow melts, the first blue-violet hyacinth flowers are already reaching for the sun and are almost the only decoration of the garden.

Many species and varieties are used as ornamental plants, very often used in landscaping and decorating garden plots, grown as indoor plants. Thanks to easy and fast reproduction, completely unpretentious care, mouse hyacinth has gained a lot of fans among domestic gardeners.

Viper onion, muscari, mouse hyacinth are the main names for the same plant. More recently, the bulbous perennial flower was attributed to the Hyacinth or Liliaceae family, now the mouse hyacinth is listed in the Asparagus family.

The name muscari is given to the flower because of the characteristic smell, reminiscent of musk.

The flower was called the viper onion by chance, one might say, because of ignorance. The flower often grows in sunny, bright glades, in the same place, among the plants, snakes were often seen. Many, out of ignorance, believed that reptiles feed on the leaves of a flower. However, it soon became clear that the snakes are indifferent to herbs and flowers, and crawl out into the glades to soak up, bask in the sun.

The prefix in the name "mouse" appeared because of the miniature, tiny appearance of the bright purple and blue inflorescences.

In addition to the accepted, basic names, the flower also has folk names:

• in Europe, the plant was nicknamed grape hyacinth, because densely planted buds resemble a bunch of grapes in appearance;
• in France, muscari is called - earthen lilac, the name was fixed due to the similarity of the color and shape of dense inflorescences with purple flowers of unblown lilac;
• in Greece, the plant is called the "rain flower", since its appearance always coincides with the first spring precipitation.

Plant, low about 10-30 cm tall. The bulb is fleshy, ovoid, rounded, 2–3.5 cm in diameter, covered with light scales. The leaves are basal, linear, belt-like, strong, 10–17 cm long and 0.5–2.5 cm wide. At the beginning of the growing season, up to seven leaves come out of one bulb. Depending on the species and variety, basal leaves can form in spring or autumn.

The stalk is an upright peduncle, naked, dense from one bulb-head, most often, one, less often two peduncles comes out. At the top of the stem, a dense, dense, many-flowered, racemose inflorescence 2–8 cm long is formed.

The flowers are small, fragrant, on short pedicels, tightly pressed to each other. In shape, the buds resemble a capsule or a barrel with six short cloves bent outwards. Miniature flowers can be compared to lily of the valley flowers, only tightly seated on the stem. In most cases, the color of the buds is blue or purple, there are varieties with white, pink, yellow, combined colors.

Seeds are formed only in the lower part of the inflorescence, since the apical flowers are sterile. The fruit is a three-celled, winged, angular seed pod. The seeds are dark, small, rounded, wrinkled and remain viable for about one year.

The flowering period depends on the species and variety, the climatic zone of cultivation. The plant is early flowering, mainly from April to the end of May you can observe delicate miniature flowers. Breeders have obtained new varieties, the flowering of which can be observed until mid-June. The duration of flowering is not more than one month.

Muscari is a completely undemanding plant that endures shortcomings in care. It can calmly exist without much attention to its person from the grower.

Mouse hyacinth is an excellent honey plant; its pleasant smell attracts many bees, butterflies and bumblebees to the garden.

The flower is widespread throughout Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and in the countries of the Mediterranean region.

The greatest probability of seeing muscari is in the grassy slopes, among the bushes on the edges in the mountain-forest belt. Some species have become naturalized in North America and Australia.

Bloom

Delicate, miniature plants bloom throughout the spring. The beginning and duration of flowering depends on the variety and type of hyacinth, as well as on growing conditions. The earliest flowers can be seen as early as April. Breeders have bred new varieties whose flowers can be admired in early summer. By combining different types and varieties with different flowering periods in a flower bed, you can achieve flowering of mouse hyacinth throughout the spring, at best - until mid-June.

On a bare, strong stem, a racemose inflorescence is formed with densely planted buds on thin stems. The flowers are small, neat, reminiscent of round lanterns or berries. Wild species have predominantly purple and blue shades of flowers; plants with white, blue, pink and yellow flowers can be grown in culture.

After flowering, the mouse hyacinth goes into hibernation, which lasts most of the year.

Species, varieties and varieties

As of 2014, a little more than 40 species of mouse hyacinth, muscari are known. About 20 species are found on the territory of Russia and the former Soviet republics. Most of which are grown as ornamentals, in flower pots at home and in household plots.

Thanks to the natural diversity and the work of breeders, Muscari has many varieties and varieties. They differ in the shape and color of the buds, the length of the stem and leaves, the flowering period. Not all mouse hyacinths are early-flowering, there are representatives of the genus whose flowers can be admired from late May - early June. And you can also divide Muscari by popularity, into universal favorites and rare, little-studied species.

Muscari grapevine

Muscari grapevine

In various sources, in addition to the main name, you can find a description of a flower called racemose mouse hyacinth (Muscari botryoides). This type of muscari is most commonly seen in flowerbeds and gardens. The plant is small, no more than 12–15 cm long. Due to its modest size, the flower is recommended to be planted in open areas, in the foreground of the flower garden.

The head - the bulb has a rounded, elongated appearance up to 3.5 cm in length and up to 2.5 cm in width. Leaves, narrow linear, smooth, no more than 12 cm long and up to 1 cm wide. One bulb produces two to six leaves. Small, miniature barrel-shaped purple flowers, the edges of the flower are tiny, recurved teeth, white. Flowers, in a racemose inflorescence no more than 12 cm long, very densely planted on a strong peduncle.

The first buds open in early May. With their delicate, bright, unusual appearance, flowers delight no more than one month. Then the seeds are formed. Based on the species, various varieties with white and pink buds were obtained.

Muscari broadleaf

Muscari broadleaf

In its natural environment, it grows and occurs in a limited area in the western and southern forests of Turkey. Despite this, the flower has gained wide popularity among lovers of garden flowers. Broad-leaved hyacinth, a very thermophilic species, it does not tolerate cold drafts, and in winters with little snow it can freeze slightly. For the cold season, the plant needs additional shelter.

Starting from the middle of spring, an arrow with a flower emerges from the bulb, the height of which can reach 25 cm. The inflorescence is tight, about a hundred small, elongated, berry-like flowers are formed. The inflorescence itself has a cylindrical shape, the color of which is light purple at the top, smoothly moving to the base with a darker purple hue. Flowering time is about 25-30 days.

Ovate bulb up to 2 cm in diameter and up to 3 cm in length. Leaves, lanceolate, large compared to other species, up to 2.5 cm wide and up to 15–17 cm long. The leaf plates are strong, grow up and, as it were, hug the peduncle, in appearance they resemble tulip leaves.

Muscari pale

Muscari pale

The species is rarely found in home gardens and flower shops. In its natural environment, it grows on the mountain slopes and subalpine meadows of the Caucasus and in eastern Turkey.

From one oval bulb-head, up to 3 cm long and up to 2 cm in diameter, up to six narrow, belt-like leaves grow up to 20 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. With the onset of cold weather, the leaves die off, becoming an additional shelter for the winter. One bulb is capable of producing one, less often two peduncles up to 12 cm long. The inflorescence is formed from 40 small, elongated, oval flowers of pale blue color, almost white. You can admire the beautiful, delicate flowers of Muscari for 15-20 days in the second half of May. In culture, on the territory of Russia, it is extremely rare.

Muscari crested

Muscari crested

The only species that is unmistakably recognizable among the representatives of the mouse hyacinth. The flower has an additional "tail", "forelock" or "tuft" at the top of the inflorescence. It blooms in late May - early June, the species is classified as a late-flowering mouse hyacinth. During flowering, the plant is strongly stretched. So, in the initial stage of the appearance of flowers, the height of the plant is not more than 25 cm. At the end of flowering, the stem with buds stretches up to 50–70 cm.

From a large bulb, up to 4 cm in diameter, 4–6 narrow, belt-like leaves come out.
There are usually no more than two peduncles, at the top of each a many-flowered, loose racemose inflorescence is formed. Small flowers of dark blue-violet color of a cylindrical form on thin petioles. At the top of the stem, the buds are clustered and have longer pedicels, which is why they take on the appearance of a tuft. The apical flowers are sterile, the seeds are formed after pollination of flowers with a brown-purple color and a light, beige edge. The species propagates more by seeds than by daughter bulbs, which is why it often weeds.

In nature, crested muscari grows on the plains of Southern Europe, Southeast Asia.

Muscari Osh or Muscari Tubergen

Muscari Osh

Very nice and neat look. The inflorescence is small, formed by densely planted barrel-shaped flowers. A distinctive feature of the species is the color of the buds. At the top, the flowers are painted in pale blue or light blue, on the lower, most of the inflorescence, the flowers are of a more contrasting, dark color with white teeth. Flowering time is mid-April.

The bulb is medium-sized, ovoid, almost rounded up to 1.5 cm in diameter and up to 2 cm long. The leaves are narrow, linear, up to 15–18 cm long and up to 0.5 cm wide. Usually one bulb produces up to three leaves and one peduncle up to 25 cm long. In winter, the leaves fall, creating additional shelter for the winter.

Muscari Pretty

Muscari Pretty

Blooms in late winter - early spring. Because of this feature, it is practically not grown at home. In the natural environment, it can be found in the territory of Southwestern Israel and the coastal regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

The leaves are narrow, the edges are bent, forming a narrow gap. The plant is miniature, together with the peduncle is up to 15 cm in height. The ovoid inflorescence is formed by densely planted, elongated flowers of a bright blue color with bent white teeth.

Muscari ragweed

Muscari ragweed

Muscari species with interesting large buds collected on a strong, erect peduncle. Each bud has an elongated shape, narrowed at the end. Flowers on short petioles, loosely planted. On one peduncle, there are 20-50 flowers, the color of which changes over time. So, at the beginning of flowering, the buds are purple, gradually turn pale, brighten, acquire a greenish-yellow hue, and become creamy at the end of flowering.

The plant is small, about 10–25 cm tall. The leaves are dark green, linear, grooved, dense up to 2 cm wide, equal to the length of the peduncle. The flowering period falls on the beginning - the middle of spring.

blue spike

A young variety from Holland, recognized as highly decorative, often used in landscape design and floristry. Plant height is 20–25 cm. The racemose inflorescence is voluminous, double, formed by 150–170 small, blue, fragrant flowers. Unlike the natural species, the Blue spike variety has several buds on one pedicel, which is why the inflorescence takes the form of a “shaggy” panicle. All flowers are sterile. During the season, the plant forms up to 3 daughter bulbs. Blooms in May for 20-25 days. The vegetation of the leaves begins in autumn, which do not fall off and hibernate under the snow.

Cantab

Muscari Cantab

The variety is a representative of the Armenian Muscari species. The maximum height of the plant during the flowering period is 20 cm. It blooms in May for one month. The flowers are bright blue with white teeth. The buds are elongated, densely planted on a straight stem. The variety is quite popular, often used for landscaping gardens and growing at home.

Moschatum

A little-studied and rather rare species of mouse hyacinth. It was found in the mountains of Turkey and Northern Iraq. Plant height no more than 20 cm. Leaves, narrow up to 2 cm wide, long, belt-like, dark green. In one inflorescence there are about 50 cylindrical flowers, narrowed at the ends. The edges are serrated, bent outwards. The species has been little studied and so far the question remains open as to which family it belongs to either hyacinth or proleskovy.

Muscari neglected

Muscari neglected

In the literature, the species can be found under a different name - the unnoticed mouse hyacinth. At the beginning of the growing season, one or two bare peduncles emerge from the bulb. Only after that, leaves appear. The flowers are elongated, oval-tubular, dark blue or purple, outwardly similar to large grapes. The teeth are rounded and painted white. Inflorescence oblong, dense, many-flowered. Leaves, narrow, up to 15 cm long, up to 6 pcs. emerge from the ovoid bulb.

Muscari neglected is distributed over a vast territory of Europe, Asia and Russia. It is predominantly found in the forest-steppe and steppe zones. In Russia, the species is included in many Red Books of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation: Belgorod, Volgograd, Kursk and Rostov regions.

Saffier

Muscari Saffier

Variety, representative of the Armenian Muscari. A rather heat-loving flower, it is extremely rare in Russian latitudes. In one season, a whole group of "daughter" bulbs is formed in one plant. Because of this feature, the variety quickly spreads and fills the nearest territories. Flowers, dark blue, elongated, with white edges. Blooms in April - May. The height of the plant together with the peduncle is about 20 cm.

Muscari azure

Muscari azure

In different sources, the species is found under the name azure muscari. Plant 15-20 cm tall. The inflorescence is small, up to 8 cm long, formed by bell-shaped, cylindrical flowers of pale blue color, and the color of the flowers varies depending on the location. So, in the upper part of the inflorescence, the flowers are lighter, in the lower part they are darker. One inflorescence contains about 30-50 buds.

The plant blooms very interestingly - at first the lower flowers bloom, creating the effect of a "ballerina's skirt". You can watch an amazing fragrant flower in April - May. The homeland of the species is the mountainous regions of northwestern Turkey.

Plumosum

Muscari comosum Plumosum

An interesting variety of crested species of mouse hyacinth. The flowers are very different from the usual type of muscari buds. Open inflorescences, formed by filiform, purple-violet, sterile flowers. The form is unstable in the middle lane.

Muscari large-fruited

Muscari large-fruited

Basal leaves, dark gray-green in color, narrow, with curved edges. The buds are large, cylindrical or barrel-shaped, red-brown in color, as they open, they acquire a yellow-green tint. The height of the flower together with the peduncle is 15–20 cm.

Home care

An unpretentious, charming flower will perfectly fit into any interior, bring a special spring freshness and comfort to a city apartment, an open balcony or terrace. Growing mouse hyacinth in a separate flower container is not difficult. For these purposes, choose a container with a large number of holes at the bottom, to remove excess water and prevent liquid stagnation. Drainage material is placed first in the flower container - expanded clay, broken brick or crushed nut shells. Next, loose, fertilized, permeable soil falls asleep. Bulbs are planted in moist soil.

One of the features of growing muscari at home is a short growing season. The plant is kept indoors only during flowering. After the flowers wither and the leaves dry, the pot is transferred to the garden, and partially buried. This procedure will allow the plant to form bulbs. The flower container with muscari remains in the garden until the end of winter.

With the beginning of spring, the pot is returned to the room, the bulbs, together with the ground, are transplanted into a new flower container, or the pot is placed in a beautiful planter.

Even despite the unpretentious nature of the plant, keeping it at home requires much more attention and effort, compared to counterparts growing in the open field.

Watering

Muscari can be called a flower for very busy people. Those who love the beauty around them, but are not able to pay due attention to it. The flower endures shortcomings in the content. The only time when the plant needs care is the flowering period. Hyacinth needs strength to open the flower. During this period, the soil around the muscari should be kept moist. It is extremely dangerous to fill the flower planting sites with water, it is very susceptible to excess and stagnant water.

Prolonged exposure to wet soil can cause the bulbs to rot.

After 1.5-2 weeks, after the start of flowering, you can relax your attention to watering the flower. Moreover, after flowering, the hyacinth goes into "sleep mode" and there is enough natural precipitation for a comfortable plant growth.

thinning

Having once planted a mouse hyacinth in the garden, after 3-4 years you can find a fairly densely overgrown area. Muscari is thinned out as needed when the flower has grown and in case of transplanting to a new place. To exclude self-seeding, after flowering, the arrow with seeds is cut off.

Fertilizer and top dressing

To maintain active growth, bright and lush flowering, the plant needs top dressing. In the spring, when digging, organic fertilizers are applied to the soil at the rate of 4–5 kg of raw materials per square meter.

To provide the flower with all the nutrients, compost is added to the soil in the fall. This will allow the bulbs to gain strength, survive the winter and wake up in the spring.

In a pot culture, Muscari needs to be fed twice a month during the growing season. Use liquid special combined fertilizer for home ornamental plants.

Hyacinth long-lived, in one place can easily grow 8-10 years.

How to care for muscari in the garden

Mouse hyacinth is one of the first garden plants that pleases with its flowering, long before the blooming of other plantings. Nature has decreed that gentle, bright panicles of Muscari are not at all lost in the middle of the site. And all because nothing prevents the plant from reaching for the sun - the grass has not yet grown, the leaves on the trees have not blossomed.

The flower will put up with any place in the garden, whether it is a bright, open meadow or at the foot of trees in partial shade. The main thing is that the hyacinth should not be planted in the lowlands and low areas of the garden. For a flower, prolonged stagnation of water is detrimental. To care is completely undemanding. Bulbs in the ground calmly endure winters in central Russia.

Proper care and maintenance will allow muscari to form larger and healthier bulbs, flowering will be brighter, richer and longer.

General rules of care are suitable for all types of mouse hyacinth, however, some varieties require closer attention from the grower. So, the broad-leaved species and Osh, need soil mulching.

Periodically, the soil around the bulb is checked for weeds. Unwanted vegetation, dried leaves are removed, the soil is loosened. Moreover, the leaves from the plant are removed after their complete death. During the period of active growth, you can not completely cut the plant. As a result of such actions, bulbs suffer, which react sharply to a sharp interruption in the growth process. If you often cut off the aerial part, then the bulbs will gradually grind and after a while they will simply disappear.

Soil Requirements

An amazing perennial is very tenacious, able to take root on the ground with any mechanical composition. If you set a goal to provide the flower with ideal growth conditions, then first of all, loose, fertile soil is selected. The earthen substrate must pass water well, stagnation of liquid is detrimental to the plant.

Muscari after flowering

If the plant was not grown for cutting, then after flowering, the stems should be cut. Moreover, the procedure for removing the inflorescence is best carried out before the seeds are fully ripe. Ripening fruits take a lot of strength from the bulb. Many gardeners do not remove inflorescences, they allow the fruits to ripen. This allows the plant to propagate by seed.

Preparing for winter

One of the advantages of Muscari is its resistance to the cold season. Dry soil, dead leaves will serve as a good shelter for the bulb for the winter. Additional shelter is required only for some species and varieties.

Planting and reproduction

Mouse hyacinth is propagated in two ways - seeds and daughter bulbs. The plant is many and often "gives birth" to new bulbs-heads. In this connection, the vegetative method is an easier way to propagate hyacinth. Especially in flower shops, you can often find Muscari bulbs, and not seeds.

And the flowering of a plant grown by seeds occurs much later, compared with the propagation of bulbs.

It is better to buy material for planting in specialized stores, in which the chance to purchase low-quality goods is minimal. In any case, the bulbs should be treated with a fungicide before planting. In almost every home there is potassium permanganate powder, a weak aqueous solution of which will save the seed from possible diseases and pests.

When to plant?

Muscari is planted in early autumn, so that before the onset of cold weather they take root in a new place and gain strength to survive the winter. Flowering of young bulbs occurs in the second year after planting.

How to plant?

In a prepared place, deepenings of 5–8 cm are made at a distance of 5–10 cm from each other. The bulb is lowered into the hole, sprinkled with earth so that the layer of earth above the bulb is about 2 cm. Mouse hyacinth is planted in groups of 10–30 bulbs, while planting the plant does not thicken. Single plantings are not so spectacular, even at home, several muscari are planted in one flower container.

Growing from seeds

This method of obtaining new plants is rarely used. Since the first flowering can be seen in 3-4 years. The first 1-2 years are spent on the formation of bulbs. Seeds, with good germination, are formed only on the largest and healthiest flowers.
Sowing seeds is carried out in the fall. In pre-prepared beds or containers with soil, seeds are planted to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Throughout the entire time, until germination, they are periodically watered, weeds are removed, gently loosened, and top dressing is applied.

Vegetative propagation methods

Muscari often forms a lot of daughter bulbs, which are used to propagate hyacinth. By the end of the growing season, during transplantation, young bulbs are separated from the main bulb. This method allows you to get a new plant much faster than seed propagation. If the flower is not planted, then after 2-3 years you can get a thick flowering carpet.

Soil preparation

Hyacinth is able to grow in almost any soil. However, every grower strives to create ideal conditions for the growth and development of garden plantings. In the case of mouse hyacinth, prepare the soil with a variety of organic matter and an acidity index in the range of 5.8-6.5.

When compost or humus is added to the soil, the plant responds with a brighter, more saturated color and long flowering.

Transfer

Strongly overgrown plants should be divided or completely transferred to a new place. To do this, with the help of a shovel, they dig in a large group of muscari. They take out the bulbs, keeping the "native" clod of earth. The roots are brittle, so try not to shake off the ground from them. Planted in a new place, watered abundantly. Transplantation is carried out in the fall, after the end of the vegetative period.

Wintering and storage of bulbs

If the dug out bulbs are intended for storage, then they are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, dried in a room at a temperature not exceeding 20 ° C. Store in a cool place. If the planting material was purchased in a specialized store, then they do not need additional disinfecting treatment with fungicides.

Diseases and pests

The plant is rarely attacked by various insect pests, since all parts of the flower are poisonous.

Problems with growth, flowering arise due to a gross violation of growing conditions.

One of the common problems leading to wilting and even death of the plant is the rotting of the bulbs due to stagnant water in the soil.

Medicinal properties of the Muscari plant

Due to its medicinal properties, muscari is used in folk medicine. However, it is not pharmacopoeial; it is not used in traditional medicine.

Due to its pleasant aroma, mouse hyacinth has found application in perfumery and cosmetology. Muscari essential oil for cosmetic purposes is used as an antiseptic, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, effective as an aphrodisiac for sexual weakness and frigidity.

Despite the many beneficial properties of muscari, do not forget that all parts of the plant are poisonous.

An alcohol tincture is prepared from fresh flower petals, used for external use (lotions, rubbing, compresses). Alcoholic extracts are used to care for aging, problem skin, with acne.

Viper onion has been widely used in Asian folk medicine, where various preparations from the plant are used as a wound healing, analgesic and rejuvenating agent.

Muscari essential oil is often used in aromatherapy. Possessing a sedative effect, it has proven itself in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system.
During painful and heavy menstruation, in folk medicine, muscari douching is used.

Plant-based preparations are used only externally, ingestion can cause poisoning. The plant is poisonous (especially bulbs), its use for medicinal and cosmetic purposes should be careful. Contraindications to the external use of muscari are the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding, childhood, individual intolerance.

Working and contacting with muscari, you should protect the skin from getting the juice of the plant.

Application in landscape design

Small, miniature flowers are used in landscaping gardens, lawns, ridges, rock gardens, along paths, as a border plant, in continuously blooming flower beds. It looks great surrounded by low-growing ground cover grasses, as a sealant between large flowers. Good partners for mouse hyacinth will be other bulbous and herbal flowers - crocuses, chionodoxes, daffodils, tulips, hazel grouses, hyacinths, primroses. An excellent combination of blue-violet flowers of the viper onion with yellow and red flowers.

To emphasize the bright inflorescences, the flower is planted against the backdrop of garden plants with large gray leaves. When organizing a mixed flower garden, flowers with a later flowering period are planted next to the hyacinth. Since Muscari cannot boast of a bright unusual appearance after flowering, properly selected “neighbors” can brighten up the absence of bright flowers of a small plant. Excellent late-flowering partners for muscari are styloid phloxes, stalks, astilbes, hosts.

Mouse hyacinth has a pleasant and strong smell, well suited for cutting and creating bouquets, various flower arrangements. Inflorescences are cut into bouquets only after the opening of the lower flowers.

Muscari is a bulbous perennial plant of the Asparagus family (Asparageceae). Muscari is also called also mouse hyacinth or viper onion. The name Muscari is often found - mouse hyacinth, its plant received for its small size and great resemblance to hyacinth, its close relative.

In its natural environment, it grows in forest glades and mountain slopes of the Caucasus, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, Crimea, Central and Southern Europe. Muscari flowers are among the earliest to appear in spring and are often grown for cutting. They usually reach a height of 40 cm. The flowers have an unusual cylinder shape with bent teeth, painted white, blue or blue. It has a pronounced pleasant aroma. It is an ephemeroid plant. Muscari grown in gardens are miniature and graceful. They are planted for decorative purposes to decorate lawns and borders, and are used in the preparation of rock gardens.

Types, varieties of Muscari and photos of flowers

There are up to 60 types of muscari, growing both in nature and cultivated in home gardening.

Muscari species cultivated in the Alpine zone of Southern and Central Europe for more than four centuries, the flowers of which are rather small and have a blue tint, called muscari grape. There are two garden varieties:

• var.album - white clusters of flowers look like pearls;
• var.carneum - flowers are painted pink.

A photo. Muscari grape-shaped.

Muscari flowers of white color bloom on one of the types of plants called Armenian. It is distinguished by terry stems and large inflorescences that fill the air during flowering with a fragrant aroma. One of its varieties is a frost-resistant subspecies called "mouse hyacinth", its upper flowers have a slightly lighter shade, compared to the lower dark blue, framed by a white border. Plants of this species are unusually beautiful, so they are especially often used for interior decoration. The most popular are several of its varieties:

• muscari terry Blue Spike - abundant clusters of inflorescences give the plant a delightful look;
• Christmas Pearl - has deep purple flowers;
• Fantasy Kriyashn - characterized by an unusual combination of blue and blue-green hues.

A photo. Muscari Armenian

Muscari species called pale, grows on mountain slopes; the stems of the plants are low, and the flowers are pale blue in the form of bells. One of its most popular varieties is White Rose Beauty, whose flowers are pale pink.

A photo. Muscari pale

It has wide leaves, like a tulip, and dense dark blue cylindrical inflorescences. Several flower stalks can sprout from one bulb.

A photo. Muscari broadleaf

Crested Muscari is distinguished by its original appearance. In its natural environment, it is found among shrubs, in meadows or clearings. Purple tufts on arcuate pedicels are located on the stems. Its most popular cultivar, Plumozum, has purple-violet flowers on highly branched stems and is completely sterile.

A photo. Muscari crested

Muscari Oshe, or Tubergena- occurs in the territory of North-Western Iran. Its blue flowers have pale teeth. Flower growers distinguish a variety of tubergen, which is distinguished by slightly lighter flowers and sickle-shaped leaves.

Muscari Pretty also has the Hebrew name Kadan Nae which means "beautiful" in translation. Grows in the parks of Ashkelon. Flowering begins very early, already in winter. Peduncles are low, the inflorescences on them are bright blue, dense, ovoid, limbs in the form of white teeth.

Growing muscari flowers in the garden

Muscari is one of the most commonly cultivated and loved plants by gardeners. They look great in rock gardens, as a decoration for decorative garden vases, when decorating borders, undersized varieties are often taken.

Important! Muscari is often used to create multi-tiered flower beds, compositions with tulips or daffodils.

Site selection and soil preparation

Muscari loves loose and well-retaining moisture.

The advantage of muscari is that they bloom when the foliage has not yet blossomed on the surrounding trees and shrubs. Thanks to this, in early spring they will not need lighting, which the plant requires in large quantities. Muscari are perennials, so they are best planted in the garden next to other perennials so that they do not have to be replanted every year. It is best that the landing site for muscari is on a small, well-lit elevation, but at the same time it is protected from strong gusts of wind.

The soil for planting muscari should be loose, fertile, well retaining moisture. The composition of the soil is better to choose slightly acidic. Muscari do not take root well in clay soil. Soil with enough fertilizer, for which compost and humus is suitable, will greatly accelerate the growth of the bulbs, they will reach a large size and the flowers that have come out of them will also be large, bright and lush. With regular feeding, the plant can stay in the same place for a decade, and it does not need to be transplanted.

Planting muscari (when and how to plant muscari)

After preparing favorable soil for muscari, you can start planting bulbs. This is usually done in the fall, preferably before the end of October, before the onset of frost, to allow the bulb to take root well.

In preparation for planting, the bulbs are kept for several days in a cool room, where the air temperature will not exceed 9 degrees Celsius, which will allow the bulbs to adapt to cold soil faster in the future.

Immediately before planting, the bulbs are soaked for an hour in a solution with diluted potassium permanganate of an average strength level. After that, they can be placed in the soil.

Before planting, the bulbs are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Because the bulbs are small in size, for them it is better to dig a whole trench in the garden, the depth of which will not be more than 8 cm. It is good to pour washed river sand on the bottom, the layer of which will be up to 2 cm. This will help ensure drainage and protection from pathogenic bacteria. During the planting of the bulbs, it is necessary to observe a distance between them of up to 7 cm. During this period, it is desirable that the soil be warmed up to 18 degrees. Then they are sprinkled with earth and during the subsequent time they are carefully watered and the emerging weeds are removed.

Muscari care in the open field

During the growth period of muscari, care in the open field involves timely watering and top dressing. In general, care is not very difficult, the plant is even considered educational, which can be cultivated by a beginner grower, however, you should know the basic rules.

How to care for muscari in the garden

Abundant soil moisture for muscari is especially required at the beginning of the growing season. At the same time, the soil most often retains the natural moisture of melted snow and spring rains. Frequent watering will be needed only if there was not enough snow in the winter. Usually, you should stick to a moderate watering regime, because. excessive moisture will cause the flower to wilt quickly. The ideal water for muscari during development is rainwater.

Important! Watering the soil where muscari grows is not required during the dormant period.

If the soil where the muscari is planted is not fertile enough, top dressing will be needed. This is where organic fertilizers come in. For each square meter, take 5 kg of humus or compost.

Muscari blooms for more than three weeks.

Flowers on the plant usually appear early and last for more than three weeks. At this time, special care is not required, the only thing to do is slightly loosen the soil after watering without damaging the bulbs, as well as remove weeds and remove wilted flowers. If, after a few years, the quality of the flowers noticeably deteriorates, the plant is transplanted..

Muscari transplant

It is not necessary to transplant Muscari too often. If the soil is well fertilized, and the flowering is lush and plentiful every year, you can not transplant for many years. However, after 5-6 years, the appearance of the flower bed will signal the need for renewal. It is this sign that is the most reliable in order to determine the time when to dig up muscari. Muscari transplant is also useful for other plants, because. the soil after them becomes very favorable for the cultivation of many other garden flowers.

Plant propagation occurs in several ways. The division method is often used. To do this, children are separated from the mother bulb of muscari in the fall, which are usually quite a lot, up to thirty pieces. Next, make a landing. This method is called vegetative.

Muscari is propagated by division and self-seeding.

In addition to it, reproduction can be done by self-seeding. It will help prevent the uncontrolled growth of muscari on the site. To do this, immediately after flowering, flower stalks are cut. The stems are left to ripen the seeds. The life of the collected seeds is no more than a year. They are planted in the ground in autumn. With the onset of spring, shoots as thin as threads will appear, which will signal the beginning of the bulb formation process. Flowering plant, the reproduction of which occurred in this way, will occur after 2-3 years.

Important! The disadvantage of the method of propagation by seeds is that they quickly lose their germination capacity and are noticeably inferior to the traditional method of propagation using bulbs.

Pests, Muscari diseases and control methods

Aphids are one of the most harmful pests on Muscari flowers.

Most often, muscari are susceptible to infection with the onion yellow dwarf virus. In this case, characteristic symptoms appear: a green mosaic appears on the leaves, the flower arrow becomes shortened, the leaves acquire a narrowed shape and general growth inhibition occurs.

The plant is also susceptible to common cucumber mosaic. It can be distinguished by pale green streaks and spots on deformed leaves. Viruses are transmitted by aphids, after entering the bulb, they remain in it for a long time. Virus-affected specimens must be dug up and burned to prevent infection of other plants.

There are still no recipes for the treatment of plant viral diseases. The best way is the timely fight against aphids - their peddler. It must be carefully destroyed at the slightest sign of appearance. To do this, dilute two teaspoons of liquid soap with two glasses of water and use this solution for spraying. Radical methods of dealing with aphids are the complete cutting of plants and tillage with garden fertilizers..

Sometimes a spider mite appears on Muscari. To combat it, you will need drugs of the avermectin group, such as Aktofit, Vertimek, Fitoverm. They are used according to the instructions. Apply at an air temperature of at least 18 degrees.

Muscari after flowering

After flowering muscari, a number of specific actions are required to care for the plant. It is necessary to carefully cut the flower stalks, then fertilize the soil with a liquid fertilizer of potassium-phosphorus composition. This will help the bulbs to better adapt to wintering. It is also good to get them out of the ground, dry them and dig them in again to prevent the possibility of deterioration.

After the muscari have faded, they must be cut and fertilized.

After that, they begin to gradually reduce watering until the leaves turn yellow and wilt. When this happens, watering is completely stopped. Young flowers are covered with peat for the winter, after removing yellowed leaves on them. If the plants are in one place for a long time and there are signs of their deterioration, transplantation begins.

Preparing for winter

To prepare the plant for wintering, you need to make a sufficient amount of humus at the rate of 5 kg per square meter; prune bunches that have completed flowering. The leaves are left until frost, this will help the bulbs gain strength. There is no special need to cover adult bulbs in winter, because. the plant is frost-resistant.

Storing muscari bulbs

If there are special reasons for digging the bulbs out of the ground, then you need to know certain rules for storing them indoors:

• you need to start digging the bulbs only after the leaves have dried;
• dug out bulbs are dried for several days, then placed in peat, which can be replaced with wet clean sand;
• once a week, bulbs should be inspected and felt, while removing those on which traces of rot or damage have appeared, also if they have become soft;
• in storage, it is necessary to maintain air humidity of about 70% and a temperature of 17 degrees.

Use of Muscari Flowers for Decorative Purposes

Muscari is an ideal plant for creating mini-flower beds for the garden, fenced with low wattle, birch branches or decorative pots. Blue muscari perfectly serve as a fence along garden paths or serve as an unusual border along the paths. Of these, you can make up a separate array, or planted under trees or shrubs, make up original compositions along with other flowers.

Muscari goes well with a variety of colors, they can be used to make original compositions.

For decorative purposes, Muscari forcing is also used - artificial stimulation of the flowering process in the off-season. For this, the largest bulbs are selected. They are dug up in July at a temperature of 15 degrees, dried and stored until the beginning of September. In the period from September to January, rooting of the bulbs is done. For this, drainage is poured to the bottom of the pot and the plant is planted in a nutrient soil mixture consisting of sawdust, humus, leafy soil and a small amount of sand.

For the winter, plants are placed in a basement or greenhouse, insulated with sawdust. In January, during the germination of sprouts, the flowers are moved for a couple of days to a room where the temperature remains no higher than 5-8 degrees. The second stage of movement is distillation at a temperature of 15-18 degrees. At this time, watering is moderate, using warm soft water. This helps speed up the flowering process.

How to use flowers in garden design

There are several options for using muscari to decorate a summer cottage. The picturesque trio of blue muscari, forget-me-nots and white tulips looks beautiful. The plant can be planted in a small bucket and put in a composition in a flower bed.

Muscari looks good in the composition on the flower bed.

Next to the blue flowers will look beautiful, for example, orange imperial hazel grouse. Planting under bare shrubs, such as arabis or ibera, will help create the most comfortable conditions for flowers. They also fill the empty spaces that form between tulips and daffodils.

Medicinal properties of the Muscari plant

Muscari has an unusual ability to protect neighboring flowers from various pests, fertilizes the soil well. In its place, after transplantation, it is good to plant roses, peonies, daffodils - they will all bloom magnificently, decorating the site. Muscari aroma repels flies and mosquitoes. The flowers are great for cutting and making beautiful bouquets.

Important! If you put a bouquet of muscari in the house, it will protect the room from small insects and midges.

Choosing the right place for planting muscari in the garden, quality care and timely watering will help preserve the delightful flower for many years, when it will delight the eye and refresh garden beds with a fragrant aroma.