Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
5/8/03
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Linda Naeve, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-8946, lnaeve@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Grape Hyacinth: Small Plants with Big Impact
By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator
Reiman Gardens
Occasionally, people have asked me why their tree or plant exhibited unnatural behavior. Their magnolia bloomed in late summer or their ash tree produced an excessive amount of seeds. This week's Reiman's Pick - grape hyacinth - is a spring-flowering bulb that typically exhibits unnatural behavior.
The foliage of most spring-flowering bulbs stays green after flowering long enough to replenish the food reserves in the bulbs. By early summer, the leaves die back and the bulbs are forgotten until new leaves grow the following spring. Grape hyacinths, Muscari species, have a different growth habit. After blooming, the foliage naturally dies back like other bulbs. Then, very suddenly in early fall, new leaves emerge and remain green throughout winter.
This foliage is tolerant of temperatures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit, below which it suffers some degree of winterburn. The narrow, grass-like leaves survive well when covered with a blanket of snow most of the winter. In the spring, the weathered foliage grows to about 8 inches in length and the flower spikes arise from the middle of the plant.
Grape hyacinths and the larger blooming hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are distant cousins. They are both members of the lily family but belong to different genera. There are several differences between them. The common grape hyacinth spike is composed of many, small bell-shaped flowers that resemble a cluster of cobalt blue grapes with a soft delicate fragrance. Hyacinths have a thick spike with larger, more pronounced flowers in a variety of bold and pastel colors, and they emit a strong, sweet fragrance that can be smelled in the next room.
The most familiar species of grape hyacinth, Muscari armeniacum, is native to Asia Minor. Muscari is the Turkish name for the bulb and armeniacum means "of Armenia." It grows well in hardiness zones 4 to zone 8. Like tulips and many other spring-flowering bulbs, its natural growth and reproduction require an annual thermoperiodic cycle. In this cycle, a plant annually requires a period of warm temperatures (65-75 degrees F) followed by several weeks of cool temperatures (28-32 degrees F), and then warm temperatures (65-75 degrees F) to stimulate spring growth and flowering.
Grape hyacinths' spikes grow 6 to 10 inches in height and bloom for about three weeks in April through early May. They have the greatest visual impact when planted in drifts or clusters of 50 or more plants. The small, round, onion-like bulbs are planted in the fall. Grape hyacinths are easy to plant because they are planted only 3 inches in depth and 3 inches apart.
Grape hyacinths grow well in full sun or partial shade. They add spring color to rock gardens and early-blooming ground covers under trees and high-branching shrubs. They make a good border in a perennial garden.
Grape hyacinths are valued for their carefree nature and reliability. They propagate over time by bulb offsets and seed dispersal. Within a few years, a small planting will spread and look naturalized to create a sea of blue in spring. Electric blue grape hyacinths complement yellow daffodils and enhance the beauty of red tulips.
Besides M. armeniacum, there are other species in the Muscari genus that merit attention. M. botryoides 'album', produces pure white blooms on 6- to 8-inch tall spikes. The blue florets of M. neglectum become a darker blue near the bottom of the spike, and each floret is tipped with a dramatic white edge. M. plumosum produces purple-blue, feathery plumes that give the spikes a furry appearance.
You can see a beautiful border planting of M. latifolium at Reiman Gardens near the Helen Latch Jones Rose Garden. Plants in this species produce a single broad leaf and 12- to 15-inch tall spikes of rich blue-purple flowers around the bottom and topped with a few rows lighter blue flowers.
To learn more about the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University visit us on the Web at: http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/.
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Editors: Two color photos, suitable for publication, are available at right. Click on each thumbnail photo to go to the fullsized photo. The top picture's fullsize photo is 168K and the bottom picture's fullsize photo is 116K. Caption: Grape hyacinth 1 |
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| Caption: Grape hyacinth 2 |  |
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