For a fast, fun project that will result in spring flowers for years to come, consider potting up some muscari bulbs. Commonly called grape hyacinth, muscari are the easiest spring-flowering bulbs to grow in pots or planters. Later on, after your container-grown grape hyacinths bloom in mid spring, the clumps can be planted out into the garden. Whether you use them to edge a pathway or fill in between hostas, grape hyacinths will rebloom for years with little care.
Grape hyacinth bulbs are animal resistant, too. The same voles, squirrels, chipmunks and mice that eat crocuses and tulips avoid muscari because the bulbs are loaded with super-bitter comisic acid. Pets won’t eat them for the same reason. Muscari leaves are sufficiently bitter to deter feeding by rabbits, but not by hungry deer. However, the plants are so compact that they are easy to cover with protective cages.
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Late autumn is the best time to plant inexpensive grape hyacinth bulbs
The Best Muscari to Grow
Several hundred species of muscari grow wild from Spain to the Middle East. The species most valued in gardens, large-flowered Muscari armeniacum is native to Iraq, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. It has since been widely hybridized with several other species from Turkey. Most varieties have a light, fruity fragrance.
Which are the best grape hyacinths for containers? Last year, the Royal Horticultural Society trialled 50 muscari varieties in containers at their Wisley gardens. Interestingly, only a few of the winners feature the traditional dark blue colour for which muscari is known. Instead, light blue cultivars like ‘Ocean Magic’ and ‘Peppermint’ and almost-white ‘Alaska’ earned the highest ratings. It is possible that when muscari are viewed up close, in containers, the details seen in light coloured flowers are more alluring.
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Try growing grape hyacinths in rustic containers or recycled plastic pots
How to Grow Muscari in Containers
As soon as you obtain your muscari bulbs, place them in the refrigerator to start chilling. The bulbs need 10 weeks of cold temperatures at or below 40°F (4.5°) to trigger strong, uniform blooming. Wait until the weather cools down to plant so the bulbs don’t get confused and start growing too soon.
You can grow grape hyacinths in any weatherproof containers with drainage holes. Grape hyacinths don’t need much root space, so shallow containers work well. This is a great use for reused plastic pots, because you can start the bulbs in small pots and then shift them to more decorative containers when they are on the brink of bloom.
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Move muscari to clean containers when they are ready for display
Place about 2 inches (5 cm) of gritty, fast draining potting soil in the bottom of the containers, and then arrange bulbs no more than 2 inches (5 cm) apart. In small pots, plant bulbs shoulder to shoulder. Add more soil until the bulbs are well covered.
Moisten well, and then stash the planted pots in a protected place outdoors. Or, sink them into a vacant garden bed and cover them with mulch or row cover. The bulbs will slowly develop roots through the winter, and start showing green growth first thing in spring. At this point you can transplant the clump to a prettier pot, or simply slip the plastic pot into a more decorative container. Potted grape hyacinths need regular water and sun, but no feeding is needed to keep them happy.
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With two green seasons each year, muscari makes a pretty edging for a garden walkway
Aftercare for Potted Grape Hyacinth
When container-grown grape hyacinths lose their looks, give them a good soaking and then set them free in the garden. Muscari are ideal for partially shaded spots, edging a walkway, or for filling in between hostas and other perennials that are late to leaf out. Winter sun and good drainage are more important than soil fertility. Muscari grow great in rock gardens.
After planting out, the plants may persist for a while, or they may die back. Then in early autumn, clusters of thin leaves will emerge and grow well into early winter. Brushing off fallen leaves can help grape hyacinths make maximum use of autumn’s scant sun supply.
The plants will disappear in late winter, and then re-emerge in early spring, ready to bloom. Depending on variety, the bloom time varies from mid to late spring.
Grape hyacinths often prosper with no feeding, but should you want to encourage a clump, just after flowering is the best time to provide a standard dose of a balanced organic fertiliser. Avoid cutting back muscari foliage as it ripens in early summer to give the plants a long season to prepare for the next round of flowers.
Photos courtesy of iBulb.org.
