Grape hyacinth...and why I dislike it.

Hey Kids!

Monthly blog post time!

As we start to see the early flowers start to bloom in Zone 5b (Early season tulips, epimedium, Geum triforum..etc), I'm reminded of my nemesis. Muscari armeniacum, or Grape Hyacinth.

I personally despise this flower, about as much as the nodding onions, or creeping Charlie.

The flower itself is a cute early bloomer, however. IT. GETS. EVERYWHERE.

To those who love it, sorry, not sorry for my own personal vendetta against them. I just prefer things that are a little bit easier to maintain and keep contained to a specific area.

Do I use plants that could be considered bullies? Yes, namely Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster) , Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master), and Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders)…I could go on but you get the point. I use those because the benefits, namely being native to our zone, supporting the local wildlife/insect populations, being easier to control. and having very distinct foliage features that are easy to identify for removal if you choose to do so.

Grape Hyacinth on the other hand is a beast when compared to those listed above. Not only does this totally tubular demon multiply by bulblets, it also like to spread it's vile seed everywhere.

Like a wild nodding onion (which at least smells like onion when you break the foliage, distinguishing it from grass), Muscari armeniacum's leaves resemble grass, outside of being a little bit thicker depending on the type of lawn you have, there's not much to tell it apart until it flowers.

Not that I care for lawns, but we know how that goes, I suppose you could use it for lawn replacement, but in reality that would turn into a whole yard replacement and eventually TOTAL NEIGHBORHOOD DOMINATION!!!

Side note: Yes, I am over-exaggerating, yes, it's for comedic effect, and yes, you can be mad at me for not liking Grape Hyacinth.

Anyway....

If you want to spend the time to deadhead the flower so they don't seed everywhere, great! But honestly, who has 1. the time or 2. the patience to do that.

Most of what is planted in a 7Hz Garden is easy to maintain, be it weeding, or deadheading perennials you don't want to spread.

I would be more inclined to use something that provides a dual sensory experience, such as sight and smell with Hyacinth orientalis, its a little more well behaved and will go dormant around the same time the foliage from Tulips and Daffodils do, allowing your other perennials to fill in that gap.

If you want to use them, be my guest, I'm not telling you what to do, just what to look out for when the spawns of flower hell start to take over.

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think about this totally tubular demon of a plant in the comments.