Planting and caring for muscari flowers in the garden. Muscari flowers - exquisite baby viper onion

The earliest flower in the garden is muscari. It is the first to wake up after hibernation to delight everyone with its unrivaled 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 based on photos, but not everyone knows the intricacies of care. Here is information about the rules of planting in open ground, necessary fertilizing, proximity to other flowers in your garden and more!

Description of muscari: varieties from which varieties come

Cute blue bells with a white skirt, the unusualness of which attracts, giving rise to the desire to plant a couple more varieties... Do you have the same picture? This means that this means Armenian muscari (lat. Muscari), or mouse/grape hyacinth, or viper onion - a flower that belongs to the asparagus family. Initially, it was classified as a member of the Liliaceae family, but later, upon closer study, the breeders realized that they were mistaken. The flower's 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 which are:

• Muscari Tubergen (Oshe), characterized by short stature and sickle-shaped leaves. A striking feature is the early flowering period;

Muscari Tubergen (Oshe)

• pale muscari, a regular on the Crimean peninsula. Particularly loved by flower growers for their resistance to bad weather and the rich hue of their bells;
• crested muscari, which is distinguished from others by flowers on arched pedicels. They decorate lawns and driveways, using them as a ground cover;

Muscari crested

• muscari is cluster-shaped, distinguished by small flowers. A bright “trick” - in 2 varieties of white and pink shades;
• Armenian muscari, the most common among flower growers and breeders. Everyone will like the bush's power, resistance to diseases, fairly large flowers and a large number of varieties, each of which is special.

Muscari Armenian

Attention! There are more than 170 varieties of Armenian muscari. Here are plants with white, lilac, violet, blue and pink flowers, there is plenty to choose from. A striking advantage - great amount peduncles on a bush.

Features of planting a plant, or what needs to be taken into account

Mouse hyacinth is a small-bulbed flower; accordingly, it does not need specific soil for development; it grows almost everywhere. This is due to the stock 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 ground warms up to +3-5°C. To plant muscari you need:

Muscari can be planted in both spring and autumn

1. Prepare the area. Optimal solution- planting flowers in groups for maximum expressiveness. To do this, you need to dig up (or loosen well) the soil to at least 8-10 cm. On soils with a pH of 5.8-6.5, the flower will delight with a richer shade and a powerful bush than on acidic or alkaline soils.
2. Disinfect purchased bulbs, first select diseased or damaged ones. Good remedy - strong solution potassium permanganate or the drug Fitosporin.
3. Plant the bulbs in a group (10-30 pieces), but not less than 4-7 cm from each other. The depth of planting the bulb will depend on its size, approximately 5-8 cm.
4. Water. Important condition proper care of the flower - soil moisture, this must be monitored.
5. Mulch the root collar if you choose Oshe or broadleaf muscari.

Subsequent care will not require much effort. The flower will delight you with its musky aroma, rich hue of bells, and will put everyone who sees it in a positive mood!

Caring for viper onions: not only the basic rules

Caring for muscari is simple; every novice gardener can verify this. But despite its simplicity, it has its own characteristics. By treating them carefully, you will get abundant flowering for several months!

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

Caring for a flower in open ground comes down to simple rules. The most important of them is watering. The flower loves slightly moist (not wet!) soil. If you notice that the leaves are drooping to the ground and drying out, it means there is not enough watering. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the condition of the soil.

Keep the soil moist

In addition, mouse hyacinth needs:

• 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 bud formation and during flowering. Usually, from 3 to 5 fertilizing is done per season, which helps to increase the decorativeness of the flower;
• pick off dry flower stalks that have faded. They can be cut off with a knife or pruning shears, promoting the formation of new ones;
• replant muscari every 4th year. This will help obtain new planting material and also rejuvenate the bush.

Simple rules of care will help you enjoy the primrose for a long time, rejoicing at its favorable location in the garden. All that remains is to find 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, since he has not been found effective drugs, That's why Special attention It is worth paying attention to the appearance of aphids. Prevention - soap solution, as well as drugs of the avermectin group in combination with urea. And your muscari is always healthy!

Plant propagation: generative and vegetative methods

Like many bulbous plants, muscari reproduces by seeds and division of the mother bulb. The first option is the most labor-intensive, because it requires not only purchasing seeds (you can collect them from your own bushes), but also growing them at a certain temperature and humidity. The negative aspect of growing mouse hyacinth using seeds is the flowering time, which will only occur in 3-4 years.

Choose a vegetative propagation method for muscari

Compared to this method, vegetative propagation of muscari will delight you with rapid flowering: young bulbs, separated from the mother bulb in September, will produce the first flowers in the spring. What is needed in order to obtain new planting material? Following:

• dig up a two-year-old bulb in September;
• Gently shake off clods of earth, separate small baby bulbs from large ones;
• dry in the sun, can be treated with preparations that stimulate root formation;
• plant the mother bulbs on permanent place, children - to the breeding bed. The distance between the bulbs is 1-3 cm;
• shed the flowers and leave them to winter until spring. In the spring, adult plants will produce flowers, and children will produce only greenery, by which one can judge the power of the future bush and the health of the entire plant.

The method of propagation of muscari you choose will help you obtain enough planting material to decorate a flowerbed, ridge, alpine slide. And the garden will surprise both the household and the guest with bright blue accent spots.

Muscari: combination with other plants, or complete harmony visually

Low-growing muscari is the flower of the first line after ground covers, as well as alyssum, purslane or other creeping flowering plants. Planting it among tall salvia, climbing roses or gladioli, for example, is impractical: it simply will not be visible.

Muscari (lat. Muscari), or viper onion, or mouse hyacinth, is a genus of bulbous perennial plants of the Asparagaceae family, although previously it was classified as a member of the Hyacinth or Liliaceae family. There are about 60 species, naturally growing among bushes, on forest edges and on mountain slopes. These are one of the very first spring flowers, often grown as cut flowers. The muscari plant has a pleasant and quite strong aroma. Garden muscari are miniature and graceful; they decorate lawns; they are used in ridges and rock gardens, and also as border plants.

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

Muscari bulbs are ovoid, with light outer scales, 1.5-3.5 cm long and up to 2 cm in diameter. Leaves - basal, linear, up to 17 cm long and up to six pieces - appear in the spring, but can appear again in the fall . Muscari grows up to 30 cm in height.

The peduncle of muscari is leafless; the flowers have cylindrical, barrel-shaped or tubular perianths, consisting of six fused petals, bent at the edge. Color - from white to dark blue, length - about 0.5 cm and the same in diameter. The flowers are collected in dense inflorescences, racemes or apical, up to 8 cm long.

The muscari fruit is a winged, three-locular capsule, spherical or heart-shaped, with small wrinkled black seeds, the germination of which lasts only for a year. This genus has two significant advantages: almost all types are decorative and, in addition, muscari are completely unpretentious.

Muscari planting in open ground

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

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

Before planting, inspect the bulbs and remove any darkened or damaged ones. Disinfect the bulbs for prevention: first pickle them for half an hour in a two percent solution of karbofos, then the same amount in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate. A day before planting muscari, water the prepared holes well, soaking through the entire layer of soil. Before planting, add to each hole river sand for drainage. If the bulbs are large, they are buried 7 cm in the ground, and the distance between them is 5-10 cm. Small bulbs are buried 3 cm, and the gap between the bulbs is 2-3 cm.

Muscari outdoor care

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

If the soil on the site is not very fertile, this can be corrected by fertilizing with organic fertilizers. You can fertilize the soil with humus or compost in the fall when digging: for each square meter 5 kilograms of fertilizer are consumed. Provided that such autumn digging with organic matter is carried out regularly, muscari can grow in one area for up to ten years. But then you still have to seat them.

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

Muscari transplant

Vegetative propagation of muscari by separating the children from the mother bulb is carried out, as a rule, during autumn digging, somewhere from mid to late October. We have already written about when to replant muscari - after 5-6 years of growing in one area, although when it’s really time to dig up muscari, the type of your flowerbed will tell you. Muscari bulbs are removed from the ground, the children are separated from the mother bulb (there can be many of them, up to 30 pieces) and planted in the manner described above.

As soon as the muscari fade, you need to carefully remove the flower stalks and feed them with liquid potassium-phosphorus fertilizer, which will help the bulbs to overwinter well. Gradually reduce watering while the plant's leaves turn yellow and wilt, and once this process is complete, more plants don't water. Autumn is the time to dig up the site and replant muscari that have reached the age of five. If your muscari are too young to divide and replant, simply remove any yellowed leaves from the area. Young plantings of muscari, especially if they grow on it next to other bulbous plants, must be mulched with peat for the winter.

Muscari reproduction

In addition to the vegetative method, muscari reproduce well by self-seeding, therefore, in order to prevent uncontrolled growth of the area, you need to cut off the flower stalks after flowering, leaving only a few for the seeds to ripen. The collected ripe seeds, capable of sprouting only within a year, are sown in the ground in the fall to a depth of 1-2 cm. Next spring, thin threads of seedlings will let you know that the process of bulb formation has begun. Such a plant will bloom in 2-3 years.

Storing muscari bulbs

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

❀ You need to dig up the bulbs only when the leaves of the plants begin to dry.
❀ The dug up bulbs need to be dried for several days, then placed in peat or damp, clean sand.
❀ Inspect and feel the bulbs once a week and immediately remove any rotten, damaged or soft bulbs.
❀ Air humidity in the storage is preferably 70%, temperature - 17 ºC.

But let us remind you once again: it is best to plant muscari in the fall, during the digging of the site, then it is convenient to separate the children from the mother bulbs and then plant them, so it makes no sense to store the muscari bulbs indoors until spring.

Muscari diseases and pests

Most often, muscari suffer from mosaics, which is caused by the onion yellow dwarf virus. Symptoms: green mosaic on the leaves, shortened flower arrow, narrowed leaves and suppressed growth of the diseased specimen. Sometimes the plant becomes infected with common cucumber mosaic, expressed as pale green streaks and spots on deformed leaves. These viruses are transmitted by aphids and, once they enter the bulb, are stored there. Therefore, diseased specimens must be dug up and burned so that the infection does not spread to other plants. There is no treatment for viral diseases yet, so fight the carrier - aphids, destroy them as soon as they appear on the plants. The method is simple and has long been known: dilute 2 teaspoons liquid soap(Gala, Fairy) in two glasses of water and spray the solution on the plants.

Sometimes muscari causes trouble spider mite. To combat it, use drugs of the avermectin group (Vertimek, Actofit, Fitoverm) strictly according to the instructions at an air temperature of 18 ºC.

Muscari types and varieties

Muscari Armenian

Among the species most often cultivated is the winter-hardy Armenian or Colchian muscari, which blooms in late spring for three weeks. This is what they call “mouse hyacinth”. The upper flowers in its inflorescences are sterile and have more light shade than the lower ones, dark blue with a white border. Armenian muscari exudes a pleasant aroma. The most popular varieties are:

. Muscari terry Blue Spike- exceptionally beautiful due to its many flowers (up to 170 flowers in a cluster-shaped inflorescence), unpretentious, can be used for cutting.
. Christmas Pearl- with very beautiful purple flowers.
. Fantasy Creation- very beautiful due to the combination of blue and blue-green shades.

Muscari grapevine

The type of muscari grape-shaped is found in the alpine belt of Southern and Central Europe, is one of the most sought after, in culture since 1576. The flowers of the cluster-shaped one are smaller than those of the Armenian one. In addition to varieties of the usual blue hue, there are two garden varieties:
. var. album- white muscari, clusters as if made of pearls.
. var. carneum- a variety of pink color.

Muscari pale

It grows on the slopes of mountains, with small pale blue bells blooming on low peduncles. Among garden varieties the most popular - " White Rose Beauty" - its flowers are not pale blue, but pale pink.

Muscari crested

An original plant, found in nature among bushes, in dry meadows and forest edges. On the peduncle of this species there is a tuft of purple flowers on arched peduncles. This plant looks great on lawns and lawns against a background of ground cover grasses. The most popular variety" Plumosum" - highly branched stems with many sterile lilac-violet flowers.

Muscari Tubergen

Or Muscari Osheh grows in Northwestern Iran, blooming in mid-spring with blue flowers with pale teeth. Requires good drainage. The Tubergen variety, which is distinguished by lighter flowers and sickle-shaped leaves, stands out separately from flower growers.

Muscari is nice

The Hebrew name is kadan nae (beautiful), found in the parks of Ashkelon. Flowering begins in winter: short, dense ovoid inflorescences of bright blue flowers appear on low peduncles. The denticles of the limb are white.

In addition to these popular species in floriculture, there are many others: long-flowered muscari, changeable muscari, ambrosia muscari, white muscari, large-fruited muscari, strange muscari, multifloral muscari, densely flowered muscari, racemose muscari and so on.

Where to buy muscari bulbs

The scientific and production association “Gardens of Russia” has been implementing the latest achievements in the selection of vegetables, fruits, berries and ornamental crops into the widespread practice of amateur gardening. The Association uses the most modern technologies, a unique laboratory for microclonal propagation of plants has been created. The main tasks of the NPO "Gardens of Russia" are to provide gardeners with high-quality planting material of popular varieties of various garden plants and new products of world selection. Delivery of planting material (seeds, bulbs, seedlings) is carried out by Russian Post. We are waiting for you to shop:

Muscari (lat. MUSCARI)– the plant received this name for the smell of flowers, which resembles the aroma of musk. Almost all types of Muscari are decorative.

Muscari's inflorescences are very attractive and have a very pleasant smell. They come in blue, blue and bright purple flowers. Muscari grow from 10 to 30cm in height. Muscari leaves are linear in shape, basal. The fruit has the appearance of an angular capsule. The seeds are black, round, small in shape.

Muscari - care:

Lighting:

Muscari prefers full sun throughout its growing period. But Muscari also tolerates partial shade well. When planting this plant, it is best to choose a place where it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Temperature:

The best temperature for Muscari is +15-18°C. In winter, Muscari easily tolerate the cold.

Watering:

The best water for watering Muscari is warm. rainwater. During active growth, Muscari must be watered abundantly. After flowering, during the dormant period, watering should be limited. Muscari blooms for 1-2 weeks, from March to May, depending on the climate and care.

Humidity:

Preferable for Muscari during the growth period is high humidity air. During hibernation, it easily tolerates dry conditions.

Feeding:

Muscari love fertilizers. This can be either mineral or organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers should be added to the soil before planting, and treated with mineral fertilizers in the spring. Remember that, like any other plant, Muscari loves care, and when good care Muscari will bloom and reproduce better.

Transfer:

Muscari grows in one place for about five years, then you need to replant the plant, fertilizing the soil before doing so.

Reproduction:

Muscari reproduces by daughter bulbs and seeds. The bulbs must be planted at a distance of 10 cm and to a depth of 7-9 cm. Seeds are sown immediately after collection, otherwise they will lose their fruitfulness, although Muscari also reproduces by self-sowing.

Some features:

Some types of Muscari can also be used as a houseplant. But in order for them to bloom well, you need to prepare the tubers using forcing, which should be carried out starting in January and ending in April.

So, you need to dig up the bulbs, dry them and store them at +20°C in a room where it is well ventilated and quite dry. Muscari bulbs must survive a cold storage period, which lasts for four months and begins at the end of August. The temperature during this period should be +9°C. The best option for bulbs is planting a month before the end of the cold period.

Planted Muscari bulbs must be taken to a greenhouse, where a constant temperature of +10°C must be maintained. If you create all these conditions, a healthy root system will form well and short leaves will appear, this will ensure good decorative flowering.

Muscari - diseases and pests:

Muscari is very rarely exposed to any diseases, since all parts of this plant are toxic. But still, sometimes there are cases when Muscari is affected by plant aphids.

The plant with the elegant name “muscari” also has much less pleasant nicknames - “viper onion” and “mouse hyacinth”. This is actually a very nice plant that blooms earlier than others. From a small bulb 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 over any area, muscari resembles weeds. They are much more difficult to limit or remove than to grow and propagate.

Planting muscari in the ground

When choosing 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 them first in 2% concentration of karbofos, then in 1% potassium permanganate. Leave in each solution for 20-35 minutes.

Planting methods

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

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

Optimal time for planting

As with other early flowering plants, the best time for planting is 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 stagnation of water, from which the bulbs will simply rot. To ensure good water permeability, you can pour river alluvial sand into the hole, which will serve as good drainage. The bottom should be covered 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. It winters wonderfully in a new place, calmly surviving even severe frosts without any shelter other than snow.

ADVICE! If very much is expected Cold winter, you can make a cap for plants from humus or compost.

Features of caring for muscari in open ground

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

Location and lighting

Muscari grows well in 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 obscuring it.

Planting viper onions better nearby 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 perennial plants.

Air humidity

Mouse hyacinth makes no demands on humidity, being content with what it has. During the period of its growth, the atmosphere is quite humid because the snow has just melted.

How to water correctly?

While muscari is in bloom, it loves to drink. 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. During dormancy, the viper onion does not need water at all. Even in extreme heat, you can avoid watering the bulbs.

Feeding and fertilizing the flower

During planting and replanting, organic fertilizers - humus or compost - are added to the soil. In the future, you need to feed muscari only in the fall, preparing the plant for wintering. Only organic matter can be used minerals The plant cannot tolerate it at all.

ATTENTION! The approximate amount of fertilizer is 6 kg per 1 m´ of planting.

Do I need to prune the plant?

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

Muscari transplant

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

Replanting mouse hyacinth is not at all difficult; the plant quickly takes root, easily enduring the process.

Transplant methods

The procedure is carried out every 4-6 years, at the same time the plant can be propagated, separating the children. It is necessary to cut off the leaves, dig up the bulbs, wash them in cool water and inspect them. Cut out rotten and affected areas, and keep the bulbs in potassium permanganate of medium concentration for 25-40 minutes. Then dry them and transplant them to the chosen location.

Transplantation in autumn and spring

The suitable period for the operation is September and October. At this time, the bulbs are at rest and can be transported to another location painlessly.

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

Reproduction of muscari

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

Reproduction methods

• Seeds. After flowering, muscari forms boxes filled with small grains. Ripened seeds can be collected and sown immediately.

IMPORTANT! Collected seeds are not stored at all, instantly losing their germination capacity.

Planting material is sown in open ground, in a specially prepared small bed. They are placed in small grooves of 1-1.5 cm and covered with soil. No need to water! In the spring, small shoots should appear from the seeds, which will bloom in a couple of years.

• Children of bulbs. During transplantation, small children can be disconnected from the mother bulb and planted separately. One adult bulb can produce up to 35 children!

Muscari flowering

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

When does it bloom and flower shape?

The viper onion begins to bloom when other plants are still sleeping underground, and the trees are just filling their buds. At the same time, daffodils, crocuses and tulips bloom. A straight and long flower-bearing arrow appears from a rosette of leaves, on which dense racemose or pyramidal inflorescences appear. They consist of many small flowers barrel-shaped. The color can be white, blue, purple or light blue.

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

Problems, diseases and pests of a flower

Due to the fact that muscari grows and blooms in early spring, it practically does not suffer from diseases. Only a viral mosaic can attack him. In this case, the viper onion stops growing and throws out very narrowed leaves and a shortened peduncle. The leaves are “decorated” with a pattern of green hexagons. The carrier of the infection is aphids; no treatment has yet been invented.

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

Pests wake up later than the muscari, so they are not able to harm it much. Unlike voles, which gnaw on bulbs even in winter. Garlic planted nearby can repel rodents.

Leaves in the process of wilting can be damaged by 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 well, and can freeze completely. At the first sign of attack, 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 Muscari genus is quite numerous.

Muscari Colchis (Armenian)

One of the most undemanding and cold-resistant species. It has small bulbs and long herbaceous green leaves. Many flowers are formed on the peduncle, collected in a ball. The perianths are cylindrical in shape with a 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 is propagated only by children, since all its flowers are sterile.
• Bluespike - very beautiful variety, each inflorescence includes up to 200 flowers. The pedicels tend to branch, resulting in very lush and large caps. Color: different shades of blue.
• 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-color color - blue smoothly flows into green.

Blooms for more than a month

Muscari crested

Features atypical appearance. The inflorescence, resembling a disheveled panicle, consists of elongated perianths.

The pedicels are bent into an arc.

Muscari 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 similar to small bells are formed on the peduncle. It blooms for about two weeks, the color of the inflorescences is pale blue.

WiteroseBeaty - bred through selective breeding, the inflorescences are pinkish-white.

Muscari grapevine

A popular species in demand in floriculture. The perianths are small, collected in small narrow cone-shaped brushes. The flowers resemble thick barrels and balls.

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

Muscari is pretty (beautiful)

It is distinguished by very narrow leaves, the edges of which are also curved inward. It begins to bloom in winter, producing erect peduncles with oval inflorescences. The bright blue perianths are ball-shaped and decorated with white teeth on the throat.

Difficulties in growing the plant. Useful tips(note to the florist).

• Healthy bulbs are completely dry, elastic and dense to the touch. If there are wet surfaces, then the bulbs are rotting. It is not worth purchasing such planting material.
• Heavily dense 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 muscari suddenly begins to sprout in the fall, do not be alarmed. Cover the leaves with a layer of peat or spruce branches and leave to overwinter under cover.
• Viper onions can be domesticated and grown in pots.

Answers to readers' questions

What is the lifespan of a plant?

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

Why doesn't the flower bloom?

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

Flower care in winter.

In the fall, they help the plant prepare for winter. Cut off all above-ground parts and replant the bulbs if the time has come. Young, weakened or sprouted flowers are covered with peat or coniferous spruce branches.

The amazing muscara flower attracts attention with its original appearance, is successfully used in alternative medicine and is actively used in floristry. Blooms long time, creates a bright spring mood.

What kind of plant is this?

Muscari comes from Turkey and belongs to small-bulbous flowers; popularly these flowers are also called “viper onion” and “mouse hyacinth”. They reach a height of up to 40 cm and have basal leaves up to 20 cm long.

The flowers are very interesting in shape, cylindrical with bent teeth. Various colors, white, blue, light blue. They have a pleasant smell. They bloom in spring, and depending on the plant variety, until mid-June.

Included in the list of ephemeral plants. perennial flower, perfect for forcing, you can achieve flowering in winter and early spring.

Main types and varieties of plants

The genus Muscari unites about 60 species, but if we talk about the most common, we can name 4 names:

1. Armenian– blooms in May with fragrant white flowers, has double stems with very large inflorescences. Sometimes flowers with a double perianth appear. The variety is very beautiful, suitable for interior decoration.
2. Tubergenovsky – characteristic feature The flower is double-colored, blue at the top and dark at the bottom of the inflorescence. The species is thermophilic, blooms for 25 days. Grows along forest edges in Asia Minor.
3. bunch-shaped– the name refers to the shape of the plant, up to 15 cm high, blooms in the first half of May, does not form seeds. Small flowers are collected in racemes, has garden variety with white and pink flowers.
4. Racemose- with large purple flowers, up to 20 cm high. Propagated by children and seeds, planted by self-seeding. Withstands temperatures below 5 degrees, recommended for cold areas.

Pictured is Armenian muscari

Tubergen muscari

The first type of plant is most often found in garden plots; it has been known since 1877. It blooms in May, 3-4 weeks, seeds are collected in the lower inflorescences. Bulbs small size, oblong, up to 2 cm in length.

Also in our flower beds you can see crested muscari, up to 30 cm high, white. Their stems are often used in wildflower bouquets.

Gardens traditionally grow small plants, mostly blue in color, up to 30 cm in height. They are suitable for planting almost anywhere, in full sun, under trees and bushes.

Choosing a site for planting and preparing the soil

The plants are light-loving, but can grow and bloom even in the shade. For planting, muscari choose loose soil, slightly acidic, with an average level of humidity.

The more fertile the soil, the larger the bulbs grow, the flowers are bright and lush. They “receive” well the addition of humus or compost to the soil.

Mouse hyacinth goes well with other primroses; you can freely create various compositions by placing the seeds in special sowing baskets.

Seedlings ready for planting

When to plant?

Muscari is planted in open ground in the fall.

It is important to do this before the onset of frost so that the bulb can take root well..

Before planting, the bulbs need to be kept in a room at 9 degrees Celsius for several days to allow them to slightly prepare for the cold soil.

Landing rules

Before planting, the bulbs must be soaked for 50-60 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate of medium strength, and then placed in soil.

Ordinary method of planting a plant

For better germination, it is necessary to add clean river sand under the tubers in a layer of up to 2 cm, to ensure drainage and protection from pathogens.

The flower bulbs are slightly smaller than tulips or daffodils, and therefore during planting you can make a shallow trench and plant in the following way:

• the distance between the bulbs should be 7 cm;
• depth – 6 cm.

The soil temperature is 18 degrees Celsius.

If you plan to sow the plant with seeds, this should be done immediately after collecting them. They are placed in the soil to a depth of 2 cm and begin to bloom in the third year after planting.

After planting, the muscari bulbs are thoroughly watered, which will allow them to emerge faster.

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Rules of care

During the period of growth and flowering, care for muscari is as follows: regular watering and fertilizing. The substrate must be fertile; two feedings with liquid flower fertilizers are required.

Watering is moderate; with its abundance, the plant withers and disappears. During the growing season, the ideal water for irrigation is rain.

The plant requires increased humidity after planting, and after that, rain watering is sufficient.

Caring for muscari

After flowering, it is preferable to prune the bunches; you also need to do timely weeding and shallow loosening of 2-3 cm.

Do I need to dig up flower bulbs after flowering?

It is not recommended to dig up muscari bulbs every year; it is enough to do it once every 4 years, in the fall.

So that the flowers do not interfere with each other and do not grow too much.

Excavated muscari

When the bulbs are taken from the ground, they need to be dried well and dug in again so that they do not spoil.

Preparing for winter

Main stages:

• adding humus, per 1 m – 5 kg;
• pruning bunches after flowering;
• the leaves should be left until frost so that the bulbs gain maximum strength for the next flowering period.

There is no need to cover the bulbs in winter; the plant is quite frost-resistant.

Flower propagation

There are two ways to propagate muscari:

• bulbs that bloom after planting the following year;
• seeds, the plant produces flowers in a couple of years.

They reproduce well by self-sowing and can spontaneously spread to front gardens and lawns.

The video talks about growing muscari in the garden, storing the bulbs, caring for and planting the plant:

Use for decorative purposes

This is a wonderful flower spring garden, thanks to its beautiful inflorescences, you can make an amazing mini-flower garden if you fence it off with snow-white birch branches.

The flower garden can also be fenced off with a low fence or decorative pots.

Blue muskellunges can be planted along paths instead of fencing. Even if the flowering period passes, the stems will remain green and lush for a long time, creating an interesting border to the path.

Some varieties have been successfully cultivated and made into indoor plants. For successful flowering it is necessary to prepare the tubers by forcing until the end of April.

Dry the dug up bulbs thoroughly, clean them from the soil and store them indoors up to 20 degrees Celsius. Humidity can cause fungus and plant death.

The flowers in the array are magnificent. They can be planted under trees, shrubs, and used in combination with many other flowers.

Muscari is good in combination with other ornamental plants

How to use flowers in the design of a summer cottage?

You can use one of these options:

1. Create a picturesque trio by combining blue muscari, forget-me-nots and white tulips in one area.
2. Plant the plant in a small bucket or pot and display it in various compositions in the flowerbed.
3. The blue color of the plant can be enhanced with orange if you plant imperial hazel grouse nearby.
4. Under the bare bushes of Arabis and Iberian flowers, flowers will receive maximum comfortable conditions, will grow magnificently and delight the eyes of passers-by.
5. You can fill empty spaces between tulips and daffodils by planting seeds by self-sowing.

Each composition will be a real miracle in the flower garden, attracting the eye and surprising with its diversity.

Bunch-shaped muscari

Diseases

The plant is resistant to diseases and pests. Almost all parts of muscari are toxic. But there may be cases of flower damage by plant aphids. Control methods include complete pruning and treatment with garden fertilizers.

Medicinal properties

The plant protects other flowers from many pests, perfectly fertilizes the soil; after transplanting it, you can plant peonies, roses, and daffodils in the same place, which will grow luxuriantly, decorating your garden plot.

The plant repels flies and mosquitoes; the flowers can be cut and formed into beautiful bouquets that will protect the house from various midges.

With the right place for planting, care and timely watering, the muscari flower will delight the eye for a long time, forming paradise in your flowerbed!

Muscari is also called mouse hyacinth or viper onion. This bulbous perennial belongs to the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), but previously this genus was a member of the lily or hyacinth family. This genus includes approximately 60 species. Under natural conditions, such plants can be found on the edges of forests, among bushes, as well as on the mountain slopes of the Caucasus, Crimea, Southern and Central Europe, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. These plants are among the earliest spring flowers and are often grown as cut flowers. Muscari flowers have a very strong, but quite pleasant smell. Small but very impressive muscari flowers decorate lawns, rock gardens and gardens. These flowers are also used as border plants.

Features of muscari

The ovoid muscari bulbs have light-colored outer scales. The bulbs reach 20 mm in diameter and 15–35 mm in length. The length of the basal linear leaf plates reaches 17 centimeters; they grow up to 6 pieces on one specimen. The leaves grow in the spring, but they can appear again in the fall. Such plants can reach a height of about 0.3 meters. On a leafless peduncle there are flowers, the perianths of which are barrel-shaped, cylindrical or tubular in shape and consist of 6 fused petals, bent along the edge. Color can vary from dark blue to white. The diameter and length of the flowers are 5 mm. Such flowers are part of dense apical or racemose inflorescences, which can reach about 8 centimeters in length. The fruit is a three-lobed winged capsule, heart-shaped or spherical in shape, containing small wrinkled black seeds. The seeds remain viable for 12 months after collection. The advantages of the Muscari genus are that almost all species are highly decorative, and such plants are also distinguished by their unpretentiousness.

Types and varieties of muscari with photos

Armenian Muscari (Muscari armeniacum)

The winter-hardy Armenian (Colchian) muscari is very popular among gardeners. Its flowering begins at the end spring period and lasts about 20 days. This species is called “mouse hyacinth”. The flowers located in the upper part of the inflorescences are sterile, and they are colored light blue. The dark blue flowers, located in the lower part of the peduncle, have a white border. The flowers have a pleasant smell.

The most popular varieties:

1. Muscari terry Blue Spike. It is very decorative due to the fact that the cluster-shaped inflorescence includes up to 170 flowers. It is unpretentious and is often used for cutting.
2. Christmas Pearl. Has very decorative flowers purple color.
3. Fantasy Creation. A very impressive variety due to the combination of greenish-blue and blue flowers.

Muscari botryoides

Under natural conditions, this species can be found in the alpine belt of the Middle and Southern Europe. It has been considered the most popular among gardeners since 1576. The flowers of this species are somewhat smaller compared to Armenian muscari. Almost all varieties are colored in various shades of blue, but there are 2 varieties:

1. V album. The cluster-shaped inflorescences consist of white flowers similar to pearls.
2. V carneum. The flowers are pink in color.

Muscari latifolia

The leaf blades of this species are very wide and similar to the foliage of a tulip. The inflorescences are dense, cylindrical in shape and dark blue in color. It stands out among other species in that several flower stalks can grow from one bulb at once.

Pale muscari (Muscari pallens)

In natural conditions it can be found on mountain slopes. The peduncles are low, and small bell-shaped flowers of a light blue color appear on them. Most popular variety is White Rose Beauty: the color of its flowers is light pink.

Muscari crested (Muscari comosum)

Very impressive look. In the wild, it prefers to grow among bushes, on the edges of forests, and also in dry meadows. On the peduncle there is a pappus, consisting of purple flowers with arched peduncles. This type looks very impressive on lawns or lawns against the background of ground cover grass. The most popular variety is Plumozum: the shoots are highly branched, and they have a large number of sterile flowers of violet-lilac color.

Muscari Oshe, or Tubergen

It can be found in nature in Northwestern Iran. Flowering occurs in mid-spring. Blue flowers have teeth of a lighter color. Good drainage is necessary. The most popular variety among gardeners is Tubergen, which has paler flowers and crescent-shaped leaf blades.

Pretty Muscari (Muscari pulchellum)

This species has a Hebrew name that sounds like kadan nae (beautiful). You can see such flowers in the parks of Ashkelon. They begin to bloom in winter time. The peduncles are low, and on them there are dense, short, ovoid inflorescences with a deep blue color. The teeth of the bend are painted white.

In addition to these species, the following are also very popular among gardeners: muscari long-flowered, changeable, ambrosia, white-fruited, large-fruited, strange, multi-flowered, densely flowered, racemose, etc.

Growing muscari in the garden

These flowers are quite popular in gardening. They look very good in decorative vases and in rock gardens, with low-growing varieties used as borders. Muscari also look very impressive in multi-tiered flower beds, in composition with other plants blooming in spring. So, against the backdrop of a dense planting of blue-purple muscari, islands of early-blooming daffodils and tulips, which are slightly taller, look incredibly beautiful. Also, orange grouse look great next to blue muscari.

Like other early-blooming spring flowers, muscari begin to bloom when there are still no leaves on the bushes and trees. In this regard, such plants always have enough sunlight. These flowers can survive without replanting for several years in a row, so experienced gardeners It is advised to plant them in close proximity to a perennial plant that does not require relatively frequent replanting. Loose, nutrient-rich and well-permeable soil is very suitable for planting. Experts advise choosing an elevated area for muscari, and it should be protected from strong gusts of wind.

Planting muscari in open ground

What time to plant

It is recommended to plant in autumn time until the last days of October. It is best to plant plants in groups, but it should be taken into account that only those muscari bushes that have been grown in the same place for 5 years or longer can be planted. When purchasing planting material in a specialized store, you should pay special attention to the condition of the shoots. They should not show signs of disease. In April, sometimes in nurseries you can see muscari seedlings, which are already in full bloom, while sellers assure that these plants can be immediately transplanted to a permanent place. You can try to follow their advice.

How to plant

Before planting, it is necessary to inspect the bulbs, and remove those that are damaged or darkened. For preventive purposes, planting material must be disinfected; for this, it is placed for 30 minutes. into a solution of karbofos (2%). Then it is taken out and immersed in a solution of potassium manganese (1%) for half an hour. Also, 24 hours before planting the bulbs, it is necessary to prepare the planting holes; they should be watered abundantly so that the entire layer of soil is wet. Before planting, the bottom of the holes is covered with a layer of river sand, which will serve as good drainage. Big size The bulbs are buried 7 centimeters into the soil, while a distance of 5 to 10 centimeters is left between the specimens. Small bulbs need to be buried 3 centimeters into the ground, while leaving 2 to 3 centimeters of empty space between the specimens.

Features of care

Caring for muscari is quite simple, so this plant Even a novice gardener can grow it. Such a flower should be watered only at the very beginning of active growth, but at this time most often the soil contains a large amount of moisture after the melting of the snow cover or after heavy spring rains. When the plant is at rest, it does not need watering. Systematic watering is only needed if winter period there was little snow or there was very little rain in the spring.

If the soil on the site contains a small amount of nutrients, then there is a need to add organic fertilizer to the soil. So, in the autumn, during digging, you can add compost or humus to the soil, while 5 kg of fertilizer is taken per 1 m2. If such fertilizer is systematically applied to the soil in the autumn, then muscari can be grown in the same area for 10 years. However, in the end, such plants will still have to be replanted.

Bloom

Transfer

Reproduction of muscari

The vegetative method of propagation is described above. In addition, muscari reproduces very well by self-sowing. In order to control the number of these flowers after they have faded, it is recommended to remove all flower stalks, leaving a few if necessary. When the seeds are ripe, they will need to be collected. It should be remembered that they remain viable for 12 months. Sowing should be done in open ground in the autumn, and the seeds should be buried 10–20 mm. Shoots will appear in the spring, and they will look like thin threads. Flowering of muscari grown from seed is observed only after 2 or 3 years.

Diseases and pests

Very often this plant suffers from mosaic disease, and it occurs due to the onion yellow dwarf virus. In an infected specimen, a green mosaic can be seen on the surface of the leaf blades, and they themselves become narrowed, the flower arrow is shortened, and the growth of the plant itself is inhibited. In some cases, muscari becomes infected with the usual cucumber mosaic; in this case, the leaves become deformed, and light green streaks and spots appear on their surface. The carriers of these viruses are aphids, and if it ends up in the bulb, it will remain there. In this regard, all diseased plants must be dug up and destroyed to stop the spread of the virus. For prevention purposes, it is recommended to promptly destroy aphids on the site. For this you can use soap solution. To prepare it, 2 large spoons of soap (Fairy, Gala) need to be mixed with 0.5 liters of water. When spider mites The plants should be treated with products of the avermectin group (Aktofit, Vertimek, Fitoverm), spraying should be carried out at a temperature of 18 degrees, while strictly adhering to the instructions.

Muscari after flowering

Storing muscari bulbs

It is not at all necessary to dig up bulbs for the winter, but it is quite possible. But in order to preserve planting material until spring, you need to know a few rules:

1. After the muscari leaves begin to dry out, you need to start digging up the bulbs.
2. The bulbs are dried for several days, then they are placed in moistened clean sand or peat.
3. Once every 7 days it is necessary to inspect the planting material, and rotten, injured or soft bulbs should be rejected.
4. It is recommended to store the bulbs at an air humidity of 70 percent and at a temperature of 17 degrees.

However, it should be remembered that it is recommended to plant such a plant in the autumn, so there is no particular need to preserve the bulbs until spring.

Muscari (lat. Muscari) is a small bulbous herbaceous perennial plant from the Asparagus family. In nature you can find more than 60 species of this attractive and surprisingly touching plant. Muscari flowers are graceful and miniature, ranging from 10 to 40 cm in height. This is one of the first spring flowers with pleasant aroma. It blooms in early spring, some species until June, with rich blue, pale blue, white flowers of unusual cylindrical shape, creating a bright and positive mood in the garden awakening from winter.

In group plantings, muscari decorate lawns, garden plots, the plant is often used in rock gardens and ridges. Turkey is considered the birthplace of muscari; the plant is widespread in Europe, the Caucasus, Crimea and Mediterranean countries. In nature, it can be found on mountain slopes, forest edges or alpine meadows. There are other names for the flower; due to its small size and amazing resemblance to hyacinth, it is also called viper onion or mouse hyacinth. Muscari is grown for cutting, it is perfect for forcing and can decorate a balcony or windowsill in winter with its extraordinary flowering.

Muscari description

Muscari is a low perennial bulbous plant, its height can be from 10 to 40 cm. The bulbs are small, ovoid in shape, with light outer scales. The diameter of the bulbs is from 2-4 cm, for varietal muscaria - up to 4-5 cm. Having a very short growing season, which occurs in spring, muscari is an ephemeroid plant. Most year, after flowering, muscari is in a dormant stage - the ground part dies off, and the bulb accumulates all the nutrients it needs throughout the year in order to bloom again next spring. The leaves of the plant are narrow, collected several times in a basal bunch, the length of the leaves is from 10 to 17 cm.
Muscari flowers are collected in lush inflorescences brushes or apical inflorescences, up to 8 cm long, resemble hyacinth or lily of the valley in shape, and have a delicate, pleasant, slightly intoxicating aroma.

More often you can find flowers in gardens of dark blue, light blue, purple or lilac colors, less often - white. The flowers have an unusual barrel-shaped, cylindrical, sometimes tubular shape, with fused petals curved at the ends. The upper flowers of the inflorescence are sterile; they only attract insects that pollinate the plant. The muscaria fruit is a round or heart-shaped capsule, divided into three nests containing small black seeds. Flowering time of the plant in the southern regions - early spring, in the central and northern regions it blooms later. Muscaria flowering lasts for several weeks.

MUSCARI IN THE OPEN GROUND

Planting site and soil

Most cultivated plants of the genus are unpretentious, so growing muscari does not cause problems. Flowers prefer to grow in well-lit areas with straight sun rays, but can also live in the shade. Mouse hyacinth does not require much care and shelter for the winter, except that some varieties and species will require mulching (broadleaf muscari and Oshe muscari). In addition, muscari flowers are undemanding to soil and grow almost anywhere. But if the substrates are light or medium, rich in organic components and with a slightly acidic pH (5.8-6.5), they grow especially expressive and attractive. Therefore, before planting muscari, it is advisable to add compost or humus to the soil at the rate of half a bucket per square meter. m.

Planting muscari

Mouse hyacinth is planted in groups of 10 to 30 pieces. The bulbs (except store-bought ones) must first be treated with a fungicide, for example Fitosporin. The distance between them when planting is on average 4-7 cm. Depth is up to 8 cm, it, like the distance, depends on the size of the bulb, for a smaller size - less, for large bulbs - more. In any case, there should be a layer of soil above the bulb of at least 1 cm. Sometimes, as a scheme, it is recommended to plant one hundred to two hundred plants per square meter. m.
If muscari is to be planted on a lawn, carefully remove the turf from the selected area to a depth of 8 cm. Then the soil is loosened, filled with compost, removing exactly the same amount of soil to maintain a flat surface of the lawn, and the bulbs are planted. Immediately after planting, the cut piece of lawn is returned to its place and watered well. Muscari flower bulbs ↓

Caring for muscari

During growth and flowering, mouse hyacinth needs a moist (but not wet) substrate. Under no circumstances should you allow water to stagnate in the soil - this will lead to rotting of the bulbs. For this reason, even slightly flooded areas in spring or during rains are not suitable for planting muscari. Plants especially need moisture during the flowering period. Watering is completely stopped after two weeks. After the leaves die, semi-dry soil is best for the bulbs.
In order for muscari to bloom and grow well, compost is added to the soil in the spring. Container plants are additionally fed with liquid complex fertilizers once every 2 weeks during the growing season.
Caring for muscari also involves loosening the soil and removing weeds that may interfere with the development of the bulb.
If muscari flowers are grown on a lawn, the lawn in this area is not mowed during the growing season.

Otherwise, the muscari bulbs will be small, and over time the plantings will disappear altogether. Lawn mowing resume after complete wilting and drying of the leaves.
Caring for muscari is also made easier by the fact that the plant is almost not affected by diseases and pests. The only threat to the bulbs is rodents, from which they escape with repellers, mousetraps or special preparations.
The planting site for muscari must be changed every four years. This can be done during muscari flowering, when the location of the bulbs is noticeable. To do this, dig out the overgrown curtains with a shovel and transplant them together with a lump of earth to a new place without damaging the roots.

Be sure to water well afterwards. In places where the presence of vacationers after the bulbs bloom is well determined, mouse hyacinth is replanted in the fall.
With careful care, faded muscari buds are removed. Indeed, on the one hand, the ripening of seeds takes away some of the nutrients from the growing bulbs, and on the other hand, self-seeding promotes the growth of muscari plantings, which may be undesirable in a particular case. In some varieties, the seed pods are so decorative that they should not be removed, for example, terry variety Blue Spike.

Bloom

Flowering lasts a little longer than 20 days. At this time, you just need to regularly loosen the soil surface (after watering), and you need to be very careful not to injure the bulb. It is also necessary to carry out timely weeding and, if necessary, pick off fading flowers. If you notice that over time, the flowers of the plant began to lose their former decorative effect, this means that the muscari needs to be replanted.

Transfer

Muscari can be propagated vegetatively using pups separated from the mother bulb. In this way, the plant is propagated in the fall at the same time that the site is being dug up (from the middle to the last days of October). Replanting should only be done on bushes that have been growing in the same place for 5 to 6 years. However, you can understand that muscari needs seating according to its appearance. The bulbs must be dug up and then separated from mother's children(there are up to 30 of them). Then the bulbs will need to be planted in the manner described above.

Muscari after flowering

At the end of flowering, it is necessary to carefully cut off all flower stalks and fertilize with liquid phosphorus-potassium fertilizer to prepare the bulbs for wintering. Muscari needs to be watered less and less. When the leaves on the bushes are completely dry, you need to stop watering them completely. In autumn, you need to dig up the area and plant five-year-old bushes. Old leaf blades must be removed from bushes that are not being replanted this year. Plants that have been transplanted or seeded should be sprinkled with a layer of mulch (peat).

GROWING MUSCARI IN CONTAINERS

IN last years Growing muscari flowers in decorative containers is becoming increasingly popular. How to plant muscari in this case?
Plastic pot With drainage hole and the bulbs planted in it in the fall are buried in the garden, and in the spring they are placed in a beautiful flowerpot, or the bulbs are replanted along with the soil without disturbing the roots. Complement flower arrangement planting other spring-flowering plants, for example, planting pansies . When the flowers lose their decorative effect, they are moved again, along with the pot, into the ground for further formation of bulbs, and left in this state until next spring. Growing muscari in a container requires more careful care. Indeed, in this case, the plants are watered and fed more often.

GROWING MUSCARI IN CLOSED GROUND (forcing)

Only healthy bulbs are suitable for forcing. large diameter, depending on the type and variety, their size can be from 6 to 10 cm in diameter. You can buy them or use your own planting material. Muscari bulbs are dug up after the entire above-ground part has died, washed, treated with a fungicide (Fitosporin, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, etc.), dried at room temperature and stored until September in a ventilated and dry place at a temperature of +20 °C. Purchased bulbs are not processed; they are ready for planting. Then the storage temperature is reduced to +17 °C. The main condition for growing muscari in winter in pots and containers is the correct temperature. Without exposure at a temperature of +2-5°C, muscari will not bloom.

Depending on the desired flowering period, the time for planting the bulbs is calculated: 3-4 months of aging in cool conditions plus two to three weeks for forcing. Having decided on the period, the bulbs are placed in a cold place with a temperature of +9 °C for about 35 days, stored in dry sawdust, cotton wool or wrapped in paper. Afterwards the temperature is lowered to +5 °C (you can use a refrigerator). Two weeks before the end of the cold period, muscari are planted tightly in pots in moist soil, the bulbs are buried 2 cm, the upper part should remain in the air.
The substrate for distilling muscari is similar to that used for open ground: Nutritious and aerated. You can use a mixture of peat, forest soil and sand (or perlite). You must put something at the bottom of the container for drainage (expanded clay, shards, pebbles).
After the allotted period, the pots are transferred to a warm and bright place with a temperature of about +10 °C; after a day or three, the temperature is raised to +15 °C. When the soil dries out, water it moderately, avoiding getting on the top of the bulb. Flowering should occur in two weeks; in a cool room it will last longer, but still will not exceed 10 days.

Popular varieties of muscari

In ornamental gardening, the following species are most widespread.

Muscari Armenian(M. armeniacum) native to Southwestern Transcaucasia and Northwestern Turkey grows on dry plains. On Russian personal plots this species is more common than others. Cornflower blue flowers. The plant is very unpretentious and winter-hardy. Towards the end of flowering, the stems often lie down, reducing the decorative value of the plantings. There are garden forms and varieties. Often used for group plantings.

Muscari Oshe(M. aucheri) occurs naturally in Northwestern Iran. The flowers are blue, distinctly bell-shaped. The species reacts poorly to excess moisture.

Muscari grapevine(M. botryoides) grows in meadows and mountain slopes in the subalpine and alpine zones of Central and Southern Europe. One of the most common in culture. Outwardly similar to Armenian muscari, but has narrower and shorter inflorescences. The flowers are blue, with a purple tint. White-flowered and pink-flowered forms are known. In a culture with late XVI century.

Muscari is fickle(M. commutatum) grows on mountain slopes in the Mediterranean. The flowers are dark, blue-violet. Winter-hardy.

Muscari latifolia(M. latifolium) forms thickets along forest edges in Asia Minor. It has fairly wide leaves, giving the plant unusual look. The flowers are dark purple. Heat-loving, in the conditions of central Russia it needs light shelter for the winter. In warmer regions it is used for group plantings.

Muscari belozevny(M. leucostomum) is found in the Black Sea region, Central Transcaucasia, Central Asia and Iran. Prefers loose fertile soils. The flowers are dark blue, with a purple tint and a white throat.

Muscari is unpretentious(M. neglectum) grows in nature along forest edges, in bushes and on rocky screes in Mediterranean countries. The leaves are large, belt-shaped, sometimes appearing in autumn. The flowers are deep dark blue, with a white edge. In the upper part of the inflorescence there are sterile light blue flowers. Very unpretentious and winter-hardy species, reproduces well by self-sowing.

Muscari multiflorum(M. polyanthum) is found in the meadows of the subalpine and alpine zones of Southwestern Transcaucasia and Northeastern Turkey. The flowers are bell-shaped, bright blue, with pale teeth.

Reproduction and sowing

Muscari is propagated mainly vegetatively, by daughter bulbs. They are usually formed in large quantities. When transplanting, the daughter bulbs are separated, disassembled and planted to a depth of 6–8 cm at a distance of 10 cm from each other. If it is necessary to quickly obtain sufficiently dense plantings, the bulbs are planted at a distance of 5 cm.

Replantation is recommended every 5–7 years. Seed propagation is also possible; it is usually used for botanical species. Seeds are sown immediately after collection, in early to mid-summer, since they quickly lose their viability during storage. Many types of muscari produce abundant self-seeding. Young plants obtained from seeds bloom in the third year.

Like most early spring small-bulbous plants, muscari is planted in rock gardens, in the foreground of mixborders, on lawns, in the form of borders, in boxes and flowerpots.

Armenian, broadleaf and grape-shaped muscari are best suited for forcing.

Bulb storage

The largest and healthiest bulbs dug up in early to mid-summer are placed for storage in a well-ventilated area. Until the beginning of October they are kept at a temperature of 20–25°C, then it is reduced to 17°C. In mid-October - early November they are planted in pots to a depth of 1-2 cm.

Before planting, the bulbs are soaked for 1 hour in a solution of medium-strength potassium permanganate. The soil in the pots should be moist. Further development of plants depends on temperature. At 9°C, rooting of the bulbs occurs within 1.5 months. Flowering occurs approximately 20 days after the temperature rises to 12–15°C.

Pests and diseases of muscari

Muscari are susceptible to the following diseases:

1. 1. Leaf mosaic is a viral disease transmitted by aphids.
      The first sign of mosaic is the dwarfism of the plant; its leaves look narrowed and deformed. The disease is carried by aphids, which infect a healthy bulb. If the bulb has already become infected, it must be dug up and burned so as not to infect other healthy specimens with the virus. Viral disease cannot be treated, it can only be prevented, that is, fight against mosaic carriers - aphids. To kill aphids, use a solution consisting of 2 teaspoons of liquid soap and 2 glasses of water. Spray the plant with this solution.
   2. Spider mite. Muscari is sometimes affected by spider mites. To combat it, drugs such as Actofite and Fitoverm are used. When treating plants with these drugs, you must strictly follow the instructions.
   3. Damage by slugs. If you find that the leaves of the plant are eaten away in some places and there are mucus residues on them, then the plant has been attacked by mucus. The cause of slugs is excessive humidity.