In a Vase, on Monday – Creamy

Chris Mousseau

The earliest Hyacinths in my garden are fading away, and Muscari latifolium, the broad-leaved species of grape Hyacinth, have also started to release their final seeds. I wanted to gather them both, while I could, in a single, smallish vase to join today’s gathering of cut flowers at Cathy’s Rambling in the Garden site.

The Hyacinth are a lovely, creamy white variety, and very fragrant. They were the first Hyacinth I planted after we purchased this property, in one of the first gardens I created, which means they’ve been in the ground here for close to 25 years! The Muscari continue to surprise me. I’ve mentioned before how this species self seeds over a wider area than the more common Muscari – the ones you see in small pots in grocery stores in early spring. They also get much, much taller as the days go one – in this patch, some of which I’ve cut for today’s vase, there were stems as tall as 10″ – 25 cms!

Here they are together in the vase. Have a wonderful week everyone!

28 Comments

  1. I had no idea there are white hyacinths. They’re beautiful, and perfect in your vase. I’ve generally not been fond of hyacinths, but that mixture really appeals: both the blue and white.

    1. Oh yes – they come in white, in various hues…and are often the most fragrant, even overpowering, although not as (bad) as paperwhites…

  2. Oh, I bet they smell gorgeous. I love the scent of Hyacinths in spring – both indoors and out. And they look good too!

  3. Cheers to a wonderful week to you! Thanks for sharing your lovely flowers with us.

    Velva

  4. Yes, I have noticed the long stems on mine too, Chris, although it hadn’t occurred to me that it was not all varieties – so useful for a vase when you have a quantity of them, like my blubells. I have tken deadheads off most f my muscari know, so they don’t spread too much as I seen this happen to excess elsewhere. Yours look lovely with the hyacinth – I hearly composted my potted hyacinths at the weekend, but have decided to plant them out instead

    1. I’m happy you planted the Hyacinth instead of composting – it’s almost like getting free bulbs, or, if you amortize the cost over a few years, really inexpensive garden enjoyment every spring. Too bad tulips don’t seem to work the same way, but for potted daffs, Hyacinth, Muscari and Crocus – they all go in the ground!

      1. The hyacinths don’t grow the same way outside here though – they are lankier and the little florets are more spread out, so they don’t look as attractive

  6. I’d grow both if I could! They don’t care much for southern California it seems.

  7. Beautiful colors. I have grown hyacinths in containers but I have not tried mascara. I must see if they will grow here in the Deep South.

    1. It’s a nautical colour combo, isn’t it? Plain yet evocative … makes me want to be on or at least by an ocean somewhere…

    1. Ha! They really do love it here. Kris says they don’t like southern California though…I wonder what the difference is…

  10. Wow 25 years…amazing and so pretty against the muscari. I grew those in my old garden and they spread all over.

  11. A wonderfully simple combination of blue and white! Does your white hyacinth actually return year after year?

    1. Yes! These were planted at least 20 years ago…I don’t add fertilizer at all, but I do let tree leaves stay in place to rot and add nutrients to the garden soil where they’re planted.

  12. Twenty five years is impressive. I do not grow them because they do not get adequate chill to be so reliable.

    1. Our winter was quite mild – it may have contributed to the abundance of blooms this year. I have a few weeks left of tulips and some daffs, mainly….

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