by Madison Briggs

Created on: January 19, 2009   Last Updated: July 27, 2011

Muscari armeniacum also known as Blue Grape Hyacinths are possibly one of the easiest perennial spring flowering bulbs to grow in your garden. However, it seems these happy little flower bulbs are frequently passed over by bulb buying gardeners in favor of the larger spring flowering varieties, like daffodils and tulips. Shop at your local home improvement store when they have their spring bulbs on sale for half price or even less and see what I am talking about. While most of the other bulbs have been snatched up, there will be bags and bags of grape hyacinths still waiting for you to pick from.

Grape hyacinth bulbs that are generally included in your variety spring bulb mixture seem to not make a big impact when planted along with their bigger and brighter flower companions, but if planted in large clusters alone or in between other flowers, these beautiful cobalt blue flowers can certainly bring the attention they deserve.

The bulbs grow in small clumps with sturdy stems about 6-10 inches high. The flowers resemble little bunches of grapes and even emit a pleasant grape-like aroma. Plant them anywhere in sun, shade, under trees, under shrubs or naturalize them. They will spread rapidly in small clumps, but they are neither aggressive nor invasive. If you find a few showing up in the middle of your lawn, it is quite simple to extract them and plant them back in your flower bed.

For the maximum enjoyment and wow factor of grape hyacinths, try these growing tips.

• In the fall, plant at the very least 30 bulbs in a cluster about 4 inches deep and 3 inches apart either in a rock garden, raised flower bed or their own section between plantings of daffodils or tulips. The more you plant in clusters, the more pleasant the impact and aroma will be.

• While planting in clusters beside other flowering bulbs, plant a few in between especially yellow flowering bulbs. The beautiful blue color seems to make the other colors really pop. Yellow, red, orange, and variations of colors will all be complimented by these pretty blue flowers.

• The flowers appear mid to early spring. After the flowering ceases, there is virtually no mess to clean up. Let the small sturdy stems naturally die back, then plant some annuals over the top of the bulbs to provide summer blooms. Grape hyacinths are so hardy and carefree, there is nothing for you to do but enjoy them each year. While it is always recommended to let spent flowering foliage naturally die back to guarantee next years' flowering, I have frequently mowed over grape hyacinth beds with no adverse affects.

• In about three years, divide them and replant the divisions again in clusters of at least 30 bulbs into other areas of your yard. This should be done in the late summer or early fall, but can be accomplished at any time as the bulbs are so hardy. While they do wonderful in naturalized settings, clusters make a more impact.

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