In summer, we admire numerous types of bell-shaped flowers. They grow in meadows, forest clearings, along the banks of rivers, lakes and always attract our attention. But a special admiration appears when the snow melts, you see gentle muscari, reminiscent of miniature hyacinths, come to life among the still sleeping flower beds of your own plot. These touching plants are also called mouse hyacinths and viper onions, and they belong to the bulbous genus.

Description and varieties

Small bells, neatly collected in dense inflorescences, appear in May, early June. They are blue, blue, white, yellow. Spring bright green lawn emphasizes the beauty of this flower.

The plant genus has about 50 species. They all have narrow leaves, underground bulbs, peduncles up to 25 cm high, fruit in the form of a winged box. Flowers, shaped like bells, resemble bunches of grapes. Therefore, it is called not only mouse, but also grape hyacinth.

The following types of muscari are most often grown:

1. Armenian. Blue flowers with a white lacy edge appear in May. This is the most common type. Often grown varieties Heavtnly Blue, Cantab, Dark Eyes, terry type Blue Spike, blooming in late spring. Variety chameleon Fantesy Creation.
2. Grom-shaped. Large inflorescences are decorated with numerous small bells of white, purple, pale blue. Blooms for about 20 days.
3. Turgenevsky. Dark blue flowers with a blue top. Blooms in May. Flowering time is 10 days.
4. racemose. Large purple, white flowers fit snugly to the peduncle, form a powerful beautiful bunch. The species reproduces well by self-seeding. An example is the variety Album.

How to properly plant muscari in open ground

Proper fit should ensure not only the fulfillment of the requirements of the intended composition, but also create optimal conditions for the growth of small bulbous plants. The best option for their placement is a small hill. It will not accumulate water that is dangerous for the plant.

Timing for planting bulbous plants

The best time to plant mouse hyacinth is autumn

1. In autumn, you can dig a plot well, planned for planting a flower, remove weeds, apply the necessary fertilizer.
2. It is convenient to dig up overgrown bushes, to separate the children from the mother's bulbs. Slowly carry out all the work on the preparation of planting material. No need to create conditions for its storage until next year.
3. Cold period conditions are automatically created necessary for the bulbs for spectacular flowering.

Site selection, soil preparation

The plant is not demanding on growing conditions. It develops well in sunlight, shade, partial shade. They can live in the chosen place for 10 years.

It’s just that there are features in the timing of flowering plants planted in different areas:

1. Places with bright sunlight create conditions for active growth immediately after the snow melts. During this period of the year there is no big grass, little flowering plants, there is no foliage on the trees that create shade. Such plantings bloom very early. The favorite place for the plant will be the beds located in the place where the sun's rays fall on them from the southwest.
2. Trunk circles of fruit and other trees. Almost all types of muscari manage to please us with their beautiful bells before the mass flowering of the garden. They need sun and moisture.
3. Landings on the lawn. In autumn, the sod is removed, and a hole of the required size is dug. Bulbs are planted in it, covered with a removed piece of turf, and the surface of the lawn is leveled. In the spring, until the time has come for mowing the lawn, flowering bushes look unusual. They have time to bloom before cutting the grass.

Soil preparation

It consists in digging and making organic fertilizers. The plant does not impose special requirements on its type. Grows well in any type of soil. Muscari flowers growing on light, medium, slightly acidic (pH 5.9-6.3) soil are brighter and more expressive. Especially if the landings are located on high lawns in the form of alpine slides.

Soil processing and preparation

Soil treatment consists in creating loose soil that does not allow stagnant water. For this, the following steps are taken :

• Dig well to remove weeds.
• Organic fertilizer is applied in the form of compost, humus.

The process of planting in open ground

1. Prepare planting material. To do this, carefully examine all dug or purchased bulbs. Sort out patients. It is better not to plant darkened and damaged ones. They are best used separately for recovery, recovery.
2. Treat all planting material with any fungicide. You can withstand them for 30 minutes in a weak solution of karbafos, potassium permanganate. Store-bought bulbs are usually ready for planting.
3. Prepare holes for group planting. Usually several bulbs are planted together, keeping a distance of about 5 cm between them.
4. At the bottom of the holes, make drainage from expanded clay, coarse sand. The plant does not like stagnant water. Thoroughly water the soil in the prepared hole before planting.
5. The planting depth of large bulbs is about 8 cm. Small ones can be planted at a depth of 4 cm.
6. You can plant the bulbs in one trench instead of in separate holes.

Muscari care

The main maintenance activities are as follows:

• Top dressing with compost in early spring.
• Loosening, watering.
• Removal of fading inflorescences. Ripening seeds take nutrients from the bulbs.
• Caring for bulbs to be planted. It is recommended to dig them out at the age of five, when the leaves become dry. They are dried for several days. Stored in wet sand. Humidity in the room is about 70%, temperature is 18 degrees.
• It is desirable to mulch new plantings of flowers with peat for the first winter.

When growing muscari in decorative containers, watering is done once a week. During the period of growth, flowering, it is necessary to feed the plants with liquid fertilizers. It is recommended to fertilize once every two weeks.

Watering

Watering plants is necessary only during flowering in the absence of snow and spring rains. The reserves of moisture in the soil created in winter are enough for the growth of flowers. After drying the leaves, it is even harmful. Bulb ripening should occur in semi-dry soil.

Soil for muscari and fertilizer

Do not plant muscari in soil containing a large amount of clay . Under such conditions, the plant will not take root. The soil should be loose and fertile. For this, organic fertilizers must be applied. With their regular use, large-sized bulbs grow and bloom perfectly for 10 years.

top dressing

Given the ability of a flower to grow for a long time on one bed, it is necessary to create sufficient nutritional conditions for it. For this purpose, it is recommended to carry out feeding activities:

1. In autumn, before planting, at the time of digging the site, it is imperative to apply organic fertilizers. It is better to use rich compost, humus. Usually its amount is determined at the rate of 6 kg per square meter area. This is important because the plant does not respond well to the application of mineral fertilizers. Therefore, autumn top dressing with organic matter is useful annually.
2. In the spring, Muscari is also fed with a solution of organic fertilizers. This improves the fertility of the soil. The sizes of bulbs, flowers, leaves will be large sizes during several growing seasons.
3. In the case of container planting of flowers, spring top dressing with nitrogen preparations is allowed., liquid solutions of complex fertilizers once every three weeks during the growing season.

Diseases and pests

The plant rarely gets sick. The first signs of any disease are the formation of a small peduncle, the appearance of small narrow leaves, and stunting.

These are the following diseases:

1. Green mosaic of leaves. It is most commonly caused by the onion yellow dwarf virus.
2. Cucumber mosaic. The leaves are deformed. There are spots, strokes of a pale shade. The plant is gradually dying.

Viral diseases are transmitted by peddlers in the form of aphids, spider mites. In this case, the bulb is affected. In it they can be stored long time. Plants must be destroyed. At the beginning of the disease, the bush can be treated with chemicals such as Aktofit, Fitoverm.

Transfer

In order to admire the beautiful spring flowers that have grown to their maximum strength, and not as they have to, it is necessary to transplant the plant to a new place once every four years. And often this need arises not only in autumn, but also when it blooms.

You can make a transplant without damaging the flower by doing the following:

1. Prepare the hole for planting.
2. Carefully dig up the plant with a clod of earth.
3. Plant the plant in another place, avoiding damage to the roots.
4. Gently compact the soil around the bush.
5. Water generously.

pruning

The Muscari bush is pruned once during the growing season. This should be done when all the leaves turn yellow, dry. At this time, they lack the nutrients necessary for the development of the bulb. The remaining dried flower stalks are cut off along with the leaves.

forcing rules

Basic rules for forcing Muscari:

1. In the role of planting material, use only bulbs, the diameter of which has reached at least 8 cm. If your own material is used, then the bulbs are dug out after the leaves have completely dried. They are washed, disinfected, dried in a room.
2. Storing bulbs until September must be produced at a temperature of about 20.
3. Gradually lower the storage temperature to 2. The allowable limit for low holding temperatures is 5 below zero. If such conditions are not created, then the plant will not bloom. They are stored among dry sawdust, paper, wadding. AT ordinary apartment they are stored in the refrigerator.
4. The exposure time in cool conditions is about four months. This is determined by the desired start of flowering. The duration of the distillation is about four weeks.
5. Two weeks before the end of cold storage, the bulbs are planted in pots filled with moist soil for bulbous plants. You can use a mixture of sand, peat, forest land. There is good drainage at the bottom of the pot.
6. The bulbs are planted tightly, falling asleep 3 cm with earth. top bulbs are left open.
7. Put the pots in a bright place having a temperature of about 15°.
8. Watering is done as the soil dries. It is not recommended to get water on the bulb. After two weeks, flowers bloom, which last about 10 days.

reproduction

Muscari growing in wild nature, reproduce by self-sowing, but bloom in the fourth year. In the practice of flower growers, the following methods of plant propagation are used:

1. Vegetative. For him, daughter bulbs are used. They're in in large numbers formed on parent specimens. Thanks to this, the flowers grow very quickly. Each bulb forms several peduncles, which creates real flowering thickets of muscari. With this breeding option, the main thing is to properly sort the dug out bulbs. Large children bloom in a year. This allows you to plan beautiful group plantings from different spring-blooming plants.
2. Seed. For growing mouse hyacinth from seeds, purchased seeds are used and collected from their ripened inflorescences. They are harvested in the fall and immediately sown in the prepared soil for muscari in an open area or special containers for pre-growing seedlings. The depth of seed placement in the soil is 1 cm. Stratification of seeds is carried out only when planting in a container. It is necessary to carefully monitor the tender seedlings of plants. Crust on the soil, weeds, excess or lack of moisture, poor soil inhibit the growth of weak seedlings.
3. The method of cut, incision of the bottom. This method is used for the rapid reproduction of muscari. With a sharp knife, carefully remove the bottom of the bulb, treat with a fungicide. Lay cut up on the grid, kept at a temperature of 22 degrees. After three months, small onions are born at the cut site. The mother bulb is planted upside down, put in a cool place. The kids are growing up. Large bulbs are planted in a permanent place. Small specimens can be planted in a separate container.

Muscari is growing fast. The easiest way to propagate the plant is by dividing the bush and in accordance with the requirements proper fit move the flower to the right place.

Muscari after flowering

1. Remove inflorescences, dry leaves.
2. If you plan to collect seeds for sowing seedlings, then the strongest flower stalks are not cut off.
3. Apply a liquid phosphorus-potassium fertilizer to help the wintering of the bulbs.
4. Stop watering completely.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Many beginner flower growers are interested in the following questions:

. Why do low peduncles become, small flowers become. Are their numbers significantly reduced?

The main reason is the impoverishment of the soil, skipping the optimal timing of plant transplantation.

.

What is the right thing to do with bulbs used for forcing or growing in ornamental containers?

The bulbs are returned to the open ground bed to recuperate. There they can be until the next digging.

.

To do this, remove faded buds. They are left only on terry varieties such as Blue Spay. The seed pods look pretty on them.

.

Proper care has helped create the famous blue, white rivers of mouse hyacinth, for example, in the famous Keukenhof Park in Holland. It is not difficult to admire the same landscape on your site.

The earliest flower in the garden is Muscari. He is the first to wake up after hibernation to please everyone with an unsurpassed aroma, rich blue hue and the ability to create a composition that will enliven the whole house! Many flower growers are engaged in its cultivation, choosing certain varieties from the photo, but not everyone knows the intricacies of care. Here - information about the rules for planting in open ground, the necessary dressings, the neighborhood with other flowers in your garden and more!

Muscari description: varieties from which the varieties originate

Cute blue bells with a white skirt, the unusualness of which beckons, giving rise to a desire to plant a couple more varieties ... Do you have the same picture? So in front of you is Armenian Muscari (lat. Muscari), or mouse / grape hyacinth, or viper onion - a flower that belongs to the asparagus family. Initially, he was assigned to the Lileyny family, but later, upon closer examination, the breeders realized that they were mistaken. The halo of the flower habitat is Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Crimea. In total, there are more than 60 types of muscari, the most popular of them are:

• muscari Tubergena (Osh), characterized by short stature and crescent-shaped leaves. A salient feature - early term flowering;

• Muscari is pale, a frequenter of the territory of the Crimean peninsula. Especially loved by flower growers for their resistance to bad weather and the rich shade of bluebells;
• muscari crested, which is distinguished from other flowers on arcuate pedicels. They decorate lawns and driveways, using as a ground cover;

• muscari grape-shaped, characterized by small flowers. Bright "chip" - in 2 varieties of white and pink shades;
• Muscari Armenian, the most common among flower growers and breeders. Everyone will like the power of the bush, resistance to diseases, fairly large flowers and a large number of varieties, each of which is special.

Attention! There are more than 170 varieties of Armenian Muscari. There are plants with white, purple, purple, blue and pink flowers to choose from. A striking advantage is the huge number of flower stalks on the bush.

Features of planting a plant, or what needs to be considered

Mouse hyacinth is a small-bulbous flower, therefore, it does not need a specific land for development, it grows almost everywhere. This is due to the supply of nutrients in the bulb, which help the bush to form and flower stalks to take shape.

For planting bulbs, you can choose the time in September-October, before winter, or you can plant in early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the earth warms up to + 3-5 ° C. To plant Muscari you need:

1. Prepare the site. Optimal solution- planting a flower in groups for maximum expressiveness. To do this, it is necessary to dig up (or loosen well) the soil by at least 8-10 cm. On soils with a pH of 5.8-6.5, the flower will delight with a more saturated shade, a powerful bush than on acidic or alkaline soils.
2. Disinfect purchased bulbs, pre-select diseased or damaged ones. good remedy- a strong solution of potassium permanganate or the drug Fitosporin.
3. Plant the bulbs in a group (10-30 pcs), but not less than 4-7 cm apart. The depth of planting the bulb will depend on its size, approximately 5-8 cm.
4. Water. Important condition proper care behind the flower - soil moisture, this must be monitored.
5. Mulch the basal neck if Muscari Oshe or broadleaf is chosen.

Aftercare does not require much effort. The flower will delight with its musky aroma, the richness of the hue of the bells, and will set everyone who sees it in a positive mood!

Viper onion care: not only the basic rules

Caring for muscari is simple, every novice grower can be sure of this. But despite its simplicity, it has its own characteristics. If you treat them carefully, you will abundant flowering for several months!

Fertilizer and top dressing, or what is needed for the growth and beauty of muscari

flower care in open ground comes down to simple rules. The most important of these is watering. The flower loves slightly moist (not wet!) Soil. If you notice that the leaves tend to the ground and dry out, then there is not enough watering. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the condition of the soil.

In addition, mouse hyacinth must:

• feed throughout the season. To do this, you can choose organic fertilizers with different composition micro-, macro-elements, feed the flower at the time of budding and during flowering. Usually, from 3 to 5 top dressings are made per season, which help to increase the decorative effect of the flower;
• pick off dry flower stalks that have faded. They can be cut with a knife or secateurs, contributing to the formation of new ones;
• repot muscari every 4th year. This will help to get new planting material, as well as rejuvenate the bush.

Simple rules of care will help you enjoy the primrose for a long time, rejoicing at its good location in the garden. It remains only to come up with a suitable company for Muscari!

Briefly about diseases and pests

Grape hyacinth is rarely damaged by diseases, but often by pests. Aphids can, if not destroy, then severely damage plants by introducing the onion yellow dwarf virus, mosaic. It is impossible to fight him, because it is not found effective drugs, therefore, special attention should be paid to the appearance of aphids. Prevention - soap solution, as well as drugs of the avermectin group in conjunction with urea. And your muscari is always healthy!

Plant propagation: generative and vegetative methods

Like many bulbs, muscari is propagated by seeds and division of the uterine bulb. The first option is the most time-consuming, because it requires not only the purchase of seeds (you can collect from your own bushes), but also their cultivation at a certain temperature and humidity. The negative point of growing mouse hyacinth with the help of seeds is the flowering time, which will come only for 3-4 years.

Compared to this method, vegetative reproduction of muscari will delight with rapid flowering: young bulbs, separated from the mother in September, will give the first flowers in spring. What is needed in order to get a new planting material? Following:

• dig a two-year-old bulb in September;
• gently shake off the clods of earth, separate the small baby bulbs from the large ones;
• dry in the sun, can be treated with drugs that stimulate the formation of roots;
• plant the uterine bulbs in a permanent place, the children - in the distribution bed. The distance between the bulbs is 1-3 cm;
• shed flowers and leave to winter until spring. In spring, adult plants will give flowers, and children will give only greenery, by which it will be possible to judge the power of the future bush and the health of the whole plant.

The Muscari breeding method you have chosen will help you get enough planting material to decorate a flower bed, a discount, an alpine hill. And the garden will surprise both the household and the guest with bright blue accents.

Muscari: combination with other plants, or complete harmony visually

Undersized muscari is the flower of the first line after ground covers, as well as alyssum, purslane or other creeping blooms. Its planting among tall salvia, weaving roses or gladioli, for example, is impractical: it simply will not be visible.

The best solution is to plant viper onions in groups or in the foreground in front of other plants. At the same time, do not forget that the flower grows significantly in volume over the years, it is worth leaving enough space.

An interesting combination of mouse hyacinth with yellow daffodils or red tulips, which can be found in the garden in the first spring. And then - only your imagination! Some varieties of petunias, undersized salvia, ranunculus and snapdragons will look interesting with it. Among the perennials, he will also find company!

The main thing is a sunny place and sufficient territory. And you know about care, watering and other subtleties. Choose a variety according to the photo in the catalog and decorate your flower bed with muscari!

Unpretentious muscari: video

The plant with the elegant name "muscari" also has much less pleasant nicknames - "viper onion" and "mouse hyacinth". In fact, this is a very nice plant that blooms earlier than others. From a small onion grows several long plump leaves and a peduncle with bright blue flowers.

Features of growing muscari in open ground

With its unpretentiousness and ability to grow to any area, muscari resembles weeds. They are much more difficult to contain or breed than to grow and propagate.

Planting Muscari in the ground

When picking up bulbs in a store or nursery, buy only really healthy plants that are free of suspicious spots, dried parts and mold. Before planting them in the soil, disinfect first in karbofos 2% concentration, then in 1% potassium permanganate. Keep in each solution for 20-35 minutes.

Landing methods

The traditional way to plant muscari is to plant dormant bulbs in prepared holes. A less effective method is planting already flowering plants.

Large bulbs are placed at a distance of 7-11 cm, deepening 8-9 cm down, and the interval between small ones should be approximately 2.5-4 cm, they should be buried less, keeping a distance of 3-5 cm.

Optimal landing time

As with other early flowering plants, the best time landings - autumn before severe cold weather. The deadline is the last days of October. Flowering muscari are planted in the spring, immediately after purchase. It is recommended to plant plants before the onset of heat to speed up acclimatization.

soil for the plant

Viper onions can be planted in almost any soil. The only requirement for it is the absence of constant humidity and stagnant water, from which the bulbs simply rot. To ensure good water permeability, river alluvial sand can be poured into the hole, which will serve as good drainage. The bottom should be laid with a layer of pebbles - brick fragments, pebbles, expanded clay.

Planting in autumn

Muscari can be planted even in cold October, without fear for the safety of the bulbs. He winters wonderfully in a new place, calmly worrying even very coldy with no cover other than snow.

ADVICE! If expected very Cold winter, you can make plants a hat from humus or compost.

If the mouse hyacinth is provided with excellent conditions for existence, it will occupy a large area in just one summer, growing in all directions.

Location and lighting

Muscari grows well in full sun or partial shade. Finding a place for mouse hyacinth is not difficult - it blooms at a time when there is still no foliage on the trees and there are no other plants that obscure it.

Planting viper onions better near with later grasses and shrubs that will cover the yellowing and drying leaves.

ADVICE! Muscari, which can live in one area for a long time, should be placed next to perennials.

Air humidity

Mouse hyacinth does not make demands on humidity, being content with what it is. During its growth, there is a fairly humid atmosphere, because the snow has just melted.

How to water correctly?

While Muscari is in bloom, he is very fond of drinking. Therefore, it is recommended to moisten the soil more often, replenishing water supplies regularly. When flowering ends, and the leaves begin to change color and dry out, watering is gradually reduced to nothing. During dormancy, viper onions do not need water at all. Even in extreme heat, you can not water the bulbs.

Flower nutrition and fertilizer

During planting and transplanting, organic fertilizers are applied to the soil - humus or compost. In the future, Muscari should be fed only in the fall, preparing the plant for wintering. You can use only organic matter, the plant does not tolerate minerals at all.

ATTENTION! The approximate amount of fertilizer is 6 kg per 1 m² of plantings.

Do I need to prune the plant?

Cleaning haircuts are carried out twice a year. After flowering, the spent flower stalks are cut off, which are already drying up. If you want to get seeds, flower stalks are left until the planting material matures. In autumn, before the plant goes into hibernation, all leaves are removed by cutting them off with garden shears.

The plant can constantly grow in one place, but over time, the plantings lose their beauty, the flowers become smaller, the shoots become deformed. Therefore, Muscari is transplanted to a new site, eliminating rotten and dried bulbs.

Transplanting mouse hyacinth is not difficult at all, the plant quickly takes root, easily transferring the process.

Transplant methods

The procedure is carried out every 4-6 years, at the same time it is possible to propagate the plant, separating the children. It is necessary to cut the leaves, and dig the bulbs, rinse in cool water and inspect. Cut out rotten and affected areas, and hold the onions in potassium permanganate of medium concentration for 25-40 minutes. Then dry them and transplant them to the chosen place.

Transplant in autumn and spring

The best time for surgery is September and October. At this time, the bulbs are at rest and painlessly transfer transportation to another place.

If you decide to move the muscari during the spring days, do it early. It is advisable to transplant the bulbs before they wake up and begin to develop the ground part.

Muscari breeding

Easy to care for, mouse hyacinth is also easy to propagate. However, usually the flower reproduces well by itself, growing in all directions. In addition, it also self-sows, scattering seeds around itself.

Reproduction methods

• Seeds. Fading, muscari forms boxes filled with small grains. Ripened seeds can be harvested and sown immediately.

IMPORTANT! The collected seeds are not stored at all, instantly losing their germination.

Planting material is sown in open soil, in a specially prepared small bed. They are placed in small grooves of 1-1.5 cm and covered with soil. Watering is not necessary! In the spring, small sprouts should appear from the seeds, which will bloom in a couple of years.

• Bulb babies. During transplantation, small children can be disconnected from the mother bulb and planted separately. One adult bulb can form up to 35 children!

When the snow melts and the black earth opens, the muscari blooms, forming bright spots on the general dull background.

When it blooms and the shape of the flower

Viper onions begin to bloom when the rest of the plants are still sleeping underground, and the trees are just stuffing their buds. At the same time, daffodils, crocuses and tulips bloom. A straight and long flower-bearing arrow appears from the rosette of leaves, on which dense racemose or pyramidal inflorescences appear. They are made up of many small flowers barrel shaped. Coloring can be white, blue, purple or blue.

The fruit box with seeds has the shape of a ball or heart.

Problems, diseases and pests in a flower

Due to the fact that muscari grows and blooms in early spring, it practically does not suffer from diseases. It can only be attacked by a virus mosaic. In this case, the viper onion stops growing, throws out strongly narrowed leaves and a shortened peduncle. The leaves are "decorated" with a pattern of green hexagons. The carrier of the infection is the aphid, the treatment has not yet been invented.

IMPORTANT! All plants affected by this disease must be immediately eliminated so as not to infect the rest.

Pests wake up later than Muscari, so they are not able to do much harm to him. Unlike mice-voles, which gnaw out bulbs even in winter. Garlic planted nearby can scare away rodents.

Leaves in the process of wilting can spoil the slugs if the muscari is in constant dampness. They cannot cause serious harm to dying greenery.

The same cannot be said about aphids, which suck out the juice and thereby weaken the bulbs. They wither and do not tolerate wintering, they can freeze completely. At the first sign of an attack, the plants must be treated with insecticides. Decis, Intavir, Actellik, Hostakvik, Cypermethrin help against aphids.

Popular types and varieties

More than 40 species of this flower are known. In addition, each species includes many varieties and variegates. So, the genus Muscari is quite numerous.

Muscari Colchis (Armenian)

One of the most undemanding and cold-resistant species. It has small bulbs and long grassy-green leaves. On the peduncle, many flowers are formed, collected in a ball. Perianths have cylindrical shape with constriction near the pharynx. The flowers in the upper part are sterile, usually lighter than the rest.

• Sapphire (Sapphire) - inflorescences have a deep dark blue color. This variety breeds only by children, since all its flowers are sterile.
• Bluespike is a very beautiful variety, each inflorescence includes up to 200 flowers. Pedicels tend to branch out, which results in very lush and large caps. Coloring - different shades of blue color.
• Cantab is a dwarf plant that blooms later than others, blooming with bright blue inflorescences.
• Fantasycreation is a spectacular original variety. Each flower has a two-tone color - blue color smoothly flows into green.

Blooms for over a month

Muscari crested

It has an atypical appearance. The inflorescence, resembling a disheveled panicle, consists of elongated perianths.

Pedicels are bent into an arc.

Muscari plumosum (plumosum) - the stems branch profusely, the inflorescences look shaggy due to the abundance of elongated lilac flowers.

Muscari pale

A miniature species up to 13 cm high. 35-50 flowers are formed on the peduncle, similar to small bells. It blooms for about two weeks, the color of the inflorescences is pale blue.

WiteroseBeaty - bred by selection, inflorescences are painted in a pinkish-white shade.

Muscari grapevine

A popular species in demand in floriculture. Perianths are small, collected in small narrow cone-shaped tassels. Flowers resemble thick barrels and balls.

The original color is blue-violet, there are variegates of pink and white.

Muscari is pretty (beautiful)

It differs in very narrow leaves, the edges of which are also bent inward. It begins to bloom in winter, releasing erect flower stalks with oval inflorescences. Bright blue perianths are ball-shaped and decorated with white teeth on the pharynx.

Difficulties in growing plants. Helpful Hints(florist note).

• Healthy bulbs are completely dry, elastic and dense to the touch. If there are wet surfaces, then the bulbs are rotting. Such planting material should not be purchased.
• Heavily thickened thickets need to be thinned out so that the muscari do not “strangle” each other.
• To prevent or reduce self-seeding, flower stalks should be cut off immediately after flowering.
• You can store viper onion bulbs in slightly damp sand or peat at a temperature of 15-18 °.
• If the muscari suddenly began to sprout in the fall, do not be afraid. Cover the leaves with a layer of peat or spruce branches and leave to winter under cover.
• Viper onions can be domesticated and grown in pots.

Answers to questions from readers

What is the lifespan of a plant?

Muscari are long-lived, who, with timely transplants, can live for 5 or 10 years.

Why doesn't the flower bloom?

Most likely, mice damaged the viper onion by eating the top of the onion. In addition, the plant could simply freeze slightly in winter.

Flower care in winter.

In autumn, they help the plant prepare for wintering. They cut off all the ground parts, transplant the bulbs if the time has come. Young, weakened or germinated flowers are covered with peat or coniferous spruce branches.

White, blue or blue flowers muscari create a beautiful composition with yellow daffodils and pink tulips. They look great on almost any flower bed, so they are very often used as decorative element. Delicate flowers that look like small bells create a special comfort on, overwhelm with tenderness and reverence.

In this article we will talk about such nuances of growing muscari: planting and care in open ground. The photo of this plant, provided in more than one version on this site, will surely encourage you to create a special atmosphere with it in your backyard.

Rules for planting muscari in open ground

Location selection

Muscari thrives best in well-lit patches of open ground. But if you plant it in the shade of trees, it will still delight you with its unusual inflorescences (see photo). Slightly acidic, loose and fertilized with humus or compost soil is just what you need for the successful growth of muscari. If the site you have chosen is prone to stagnant moisture or has an increased clay content, the chances of growing a pleasing plant here are minimal.

Muscari loves light, slightly acidic and well-drained soil.

Preparing for landing

Muscari should be planted in late summer or early autumn. If the air temperature drops below 5ᵒС, it is already too late to plant tubers in open ground. Previously, the bulbs can be kept for a week or more in a room with a temperature of + 9-10 ᵒС. To protect the plant from pests and diseases, treat the muscari bulbs with crushed sulfur, a fungicidal solution, a solution of karbofos or potassium permanganate.

Tubers before planting must be treated with a disinfectant solution

Landing Rules

When planting muscari in open ground, it will be correct to adhere to such a depth of holes that would accommodate three bulb heights (the photo of the bulbs is provided above). In clay soil, the depth can be slightly reduced, and in especially light soil, it can be increased. The minimum distance between large tubers is 6 cm. Complex fertilizer or humus can be placed on the bottom, sprinkling it with earth or sand. Next, place the bulb upside down. If the tubers are very small, the distance between them can be reduced to two centimeters. From above, the site must be mulched with humus, sawdust or peat.

Muscari care in the open field

Top dressing. The plant needs top dressing, which can be used as liquid flower fertilizers, diluted compost or humus. It is advisable to bring them into the ground twice: as soon as the ground thaws and after the sprouts reach several centimeters. You can feed even during the appearance of buds and flowering. Some summer residents, when growing muscari in open ground, apply organic fertilizers only in the fall. Care can be carried out without fertilizer at all, but then the flowering will be less plentiful and long-lasting.

Without top dressing, Muscari will bloom less abundantly and for a short time.

Watering. During flowering, muscari needs abundant watering, but the water should not stagnate, so this area of ​​\u200b\u200bopen ground should be well drained. Two weeks after the disappearance of the buds, watering is stopped completely.
Other measures. During the growing season and during flowering, caring for muscari involves active weed control and fluffing of the earth. After flowering, the clusters are cut off, and the leaves are left. Due to the toxicity of the plant, it is practically not afraid of pests, and because of its frost resistance, it is not necessary to cover it for the winter.

Muscari does not need winter shelter

With its delicate flowering, muscari can please the eye for several weeks, despite the fact that in special care the plant does not need So, even a novice summer resident is able to grow it. We hope that the above information about muscari - planting and care in the open field, photos - will help you enjoy this wonderful creation of nature.

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. By following certain rules, you can get great result and on garden plot, 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 throughout 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 it works very well on 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 different varieties- the beginning of flowering they do not coincide. With careful selection, you can ensure the beauty of the flower bed for a long time.

They decorate alpine slides, borders, compositions from wild stone around small bodies of water. 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

Absence suburban area 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 air;
• soil irrigation is carried out as the soil dries;
• for a visual effect, you need to occupy as many pots as possible with flowers.