Grape hyacinth
Grape hyacinth: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Grape hyacinths are small bulbous perennials in the genus Muscari, part of the Asparagaceae family. Their familiar name brings to mind the blue clusters that appear in spring, but the group includes several species and many garden selections. This description therefore covers a group of plants rather than one particular cultivar. Flower colour, leaf shape and overall size vary between them. Armenian grape hyacinth, Muscari armeniacum, is one of the species commonly encountered in gardens.Each bulb produces leaves close to the ground and upright flower stems. Many grape hyacinths have narrow, flexible green leaves that look like little straps. Others have noticeably broader foliage, as you can see in Muscari latifolium. The flower stem is separate from these leaves and carries a tightly packed cluster of small flowers. Seen at close range, an individual flower resembles a little bell or vase with a narrow opening. The repeated shapes give the…
