Muscari botryoides
| Muscari botryoides | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Muscari botryoides (common name: italian grape hyacinth)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a greenhouse[1]. The seed can also be sown in early spring in a greenhouse. A good proportion of the seed usually germinates within 2 - 3 months. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first year of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.
Division of offsets in July/August after the leaves die down[2]. It can be done every other year if a quick increase is required[2]. Larger bulbs can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.
Cultivation: A very easily grown plant[1], it prefers a rich open well-drained soil[2] but succeeds in any soil and situation[2][3][4].
The dormant bulbs are very hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10°c[5].
Does very well in short grass[2], increasing freely and it can become invasive[1].
There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[1]. The flowers have a scent that resembles the honey-musk scent of buddleia[6].
Range: C. and S.E. Europe.
Habitat: Meadows, thickets and roadsides in Eastern N. America, where it is a garden escape[7].
Edibility: The flowers and flower buds can be pickled in vinegar[8].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Matthews, Victoria. The New Plantsman Volume 1. Royal Horticultural Society, 1994.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.