A flower like muscari is often called "mouse hyacinth." The genus of the plant includes about 60 species of perennial bulbous flowers, the height of which does not exceed 30 cm. Almost all of these species are decorative and are grown in gardens not only in our country, but also in the territory of the former USSR.
Muscari characteristics: varieties and varieties
The asparagus family includes such a bulbous perennial as muscari plumosum. In the wild, the flower grows on the slopes of the mountains, on the edges of the forest in Central and Southern Europe, as well as in the Caucasus. Inflorescences have a strong and fragrant odor. These small bright flowers often adorn lawns; they are used in landscape design as border plants.
Muscari in a separate landing
Muscari bulbs are oval and have a light shade. The diameter is about 2 cm, and its length is 3.5 cm. The olin plant instance has about 6 linear leaves, the length of which is 17 cm. The leaves begin to grow in spring, and in the fall they often reappear. Height 30 cm. On the peduncle flowers of various shapes are formed, which consist of 6 petals bent to the edge. The shade of such flowers can vary from white to dark blue.
After flowering, seed bolls form on the plant. After harvesting, seed can sprout for another year. Muscari advantages are unpretentiousness in cultivation and high decorativeness of any of the species.
Muscari, hyacinths and tulips in one frame
Muscari of the armeniacum variety (Muscari of the Armenian variety), which has high frost resistance, is considered especially popular among gardeners of our country. Flowering of the plant begins in late spring and lasts 20 days. This species is usually called "mouse hyacinth." At the top, the flowers are painted in a light blue hue, the lower flowers are saturated blue with a white border. This species exudes a wonderful aroma.
Among the most popular descriptions of the varieties of this species, muscari is worth noting:
- Terry Blue Spike. It has particularly high decorative qualities, thanks to 170 flowers that are part of the inflorescence. The plant is unpretentious and perfectly grown in any conditions.
- Fantasy Creation. A spectacular plant has an interesting combination of blue and greenish-blue hues.
- Christmas Pearl The flowers of this variety are quite beautiful, painted in purple.
Other popular varieties include Muscari Azureum, Muscari Valerie Finnis, Latifolium (latifolium), Plume, Surprise, Pink (pink), Sunrise, Armenicum.
Planting a plant
Before embarking on muscari planting, it is necessary to select the optimal site. The advantage of the plant is that it blooms when the other plants do not even have foliage. For this reason, it is not necessary for muscari to choose a place with good lighting, because he will have enough light even next to the trees.
It's important to know! Fertile, loose soil, which perfectly passes moisture and air, is suitable for the flower.
The acid content should be minimal, otherwise liming should be used. Muskari clay soil is not suitable. Bulb growth is largely accelerated in fertile soil, spiced with humus or compost. In addition, the resulting flowers will be bright and large. If you regularly feed your muscari, you can grow in one place for at least a decade without a transplant.
Muscari flowers in blue with white border close-up
Seed planting
If you plan to plant a plant using seeds, then the material is sown immediately after it has been collected. It should be understood that reproduction in this way is not suitable for each variety. The resulting plants will not carry varietal traits. In a year, seed germination will be significantly reduced.
Seed material is sown immediately in open ground. The depth of the hole for planting should be no more than 2 cm. In winter, planting will be stratified in natural conditions, and the first shoots will appear in spring. Within a few months, the bulb will form and the greens will grow. Flowering can only be expected in the second or third year of planting.
Planting seedlings
Planting muscari with bulbs is the most preferred breeding option. When the soil is well prepared, you can start planting. The work should be completed no later than the end of October, before frosts have come. In this case, the bulb will have time to take root and strengthen well.
Before planting, the bulbs are left in a room with cool air, which does not exceed + 9 ℃. In the future, the bulb will be easier to adapt to a new place. Right before planting, the material should be soaked in a medium-strength manganese solution for an hour. Immediately after this, the bulbs can be safely placed in the soil.
Due to the small size of the bulbs, it is better to plant them in a trench, the depth of which will be no more than 8 cm. Experienced gardeners at the bottom of such a trench strew a layer of river sand, 2 cm thick. This creates good drainage and protection against many pathogenic bacteria. The distance between plantings should be at least 7 cm. During planting, it is important that the ground warms up to +18 ℃.
Watering and loosening the soil
Muscari flower requires, although constant, but simple care. The plant should be regularly watered, the soil should always be in a moist state. Do not allow stagnation of water, otherwise the bulb will quickly rot.
Additional Information! If there is little rainfall and a drought period sets in, you need to irrigate the soil in the morning.
Breeding methods
In addition to the vegetative variant, this plant is capable of propagating by self-seeding. For this reason, uncontrolled sprouting of flowers throughout the site. To prevent such propagation of flowers, you can remove the flower stalks after flowering and leave a few for seed ripening. Ripe seeds are collected and sown in open ground to a depth of no more than 2 cm. Already next spring you can see thin shoots that indicate that the bulb has started to form. Flowering from young plants can be expected no earlier than 2 years of age. It is easy to propagate bushes.
Pale blue muscari planted as a houseplant
Fertilizers and fertilizers
If the soil, where spectacular flowers grow muscarics, is rather scarce, then organic fertilizers should be added to it. When autumn digging, you can make compost or humus. 5 kg of fertilizer per square meter of soil will be enough. If such feeding will be carried out annually in autumn, then the plant will be able to quietly develop in the same place for 10 years, instead of 5. But in the end, the flowers will have to be transplanted.
Plant transplant
When to transplant muscari flower? Work is carried out in the fall during a planned digging. Children are separated from the maternal bulb. Work can only be carried out until mid-October. When you need to transplant a plant, it is easy to understand by the external condition of the flowerbed. Usually muscari flowers grow in one place for about 5 years, after which a transplant is required. You just need to remove the bulb, divide into equal parts and plant the plant.
Pests and diseases
The yellow dwarf onion virus, which is characteristic of this plant, often leads to a disease such as a mosaic. Muscari is also affected by this disease. On the leaves of the flower you can see a mosaic of a green hue, the plate becomes narrower, and the plant itself is clearly behind in growth and development. There are also cases when muscari suffers from cucumber mosaic, in which the leaf begins to deform actively, and spots and strips of light green color can be seen on its surface.
These viruses are carried by aphids, which constantly attack the plant. If the pathogenic microorganism gets into the bulb, then it will not be possible to remove it. Such flowers must be removed from the garden and destroyed, otherwise the entire area will be infected.
You should know! For preventive purposes with diseases, it is important to prevent the appearance of aphids or to destroy it in time. Soap solution is great. Just a few tablespoons of liquid soap per half liter of water. Avermectin group products are suitable for processing flowers against a spider mite. Spraying is carried out at an air temperature not lower than +18 ℃.
The flowering period and care during this period
Muscari looks like after flowering and what to do next, not every beginner knows. Flowering lasts about a month and at this time the plant does not require special care. It will be enough only to loosen the soil after watering, to remove weed grass and dried flowers, which often spoil the appearance of the entire flowerbed. Loosening should be carried out carefully so as not to harm the fragile bulb. If the gardener noted that the quality of the flowers became worse than last year, then most likely the plant must already be transplanted.
Winter preparations
When the plant has faded, it is time to begin its preparation for the winter. All flower stalks are cut off from the flower bed, and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are introduced into the soil. Watering at this time is reduced as much as possible. When all the foliage dries, moisturizing is stopped altogether. In autumn, the site must be dug up, and plants of five years old should be planted and, if necessary, cut. Those bushes that will not be transplanted should be well examined and old leaves removed from them. Transplanted or seated muscari or mouse hyacinth is sprinkled with a layer of mulch.
Bulb Storage
When to dig a Muscari plant for the winter? It is not necessary to dig out the bulbs of a plant.
Muscari Bouquet
In order for the material for subsequent planting to still be preserved, you need to know several important rules:
- dig the bulb after the leaves of the flower begin to dry;
- the bulbs should dry for several days, after which they are placed in wet sand or peat;
- once a week planting should be checked and removed rotten or damaged bulbs;
- the air humidity at which the material is stored should be at least 70%, and the temperature about +17 ℃.
You should know! Muscari are planted in the fall, so you do not need to store the bulbs until spring.
Use in landscape design
Of this beautiful spring plant in the areas often create a flower garden. Such a flowerbed can be fenced with white birch branches, decorative pots or wattle. It all depends on the site itself and the gardener's imagination.
Muscari of a blue hue is often planted along paths, thereby replacing fences. They are easy to care for. Even after the flowering period, the green stems will leave a beautiful border around the edge of the paths. Many varieties have been actively cultivated and are now used as indoor plants.
Often these flowers are planted in a common array under the trees, around shrubs, and they are also combined with other flowering plants. Landscape designers recommend using the following design options for the site using muscari:
- Spectacular trio with blue muscari, white tulips and forget-me-nots.
- Seed plants in different pots or containers and use them in the flowerbed.
- Muscari blue strengthen orange plants.
- Empty spaces in the tulip or daffodil rows can be filled with muscari using self-seeding.
Muscari planting and care in the open field is not a big deal. Subject to elementary agrotechnical rules, it is possible to achieve lush flowering plants in the spring.
