Meet the muscari

Sunset, Sept, 1991

Blue-flowered grape hyacinths are neither grapes nor hyacinths, but really kinds of Muscari, Middle Eastern plants that are among our most popular spring bulbs.

M. armeniacum (pictured above and at far left), whose medium blue is the handsdown favorite for cooling off hot-colored tulips, is what most people think of when they thik of grape hyacinths, but others are worth trying as well. None is as common as M. armeniacum, and each is worth the hunt.

The most difficult to find is M. latifolium, whose broad, upright leaves make it the most formal-looking of the Muscari clan. But it's the flowers, not the leaves, that will stop you: the infertile top flowers are blue-purple, while the fertile bottom flowers are a deep violet.

If you'd like to experiment with a white variety, try M. botryoides 'Album'. It's among the finest for massing among brightly flowered bulbs.

As a group, grape hyacinths naturalize well, increasing slowly over the years from offsets and seeds. Give them full sun or part shade and normal garden soil. Native to dry-summer climates, these do well in most of the West with no more water than they get from the sky.

M. armeniacum is widely available. M. latifolium and M. botryoides 'Album' are available by mail from McClure & Zimmerman, Box 368, Friesland, Wis. 53935. the catalog is free.