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Hi, can someone identify this plant please

Kent, United Kingdom

Hi, can someone identify this blue plant please. Many thanks.




Answers

 

I believe this is a grape hyacynth - hope I'm right, some one else can confirm or shoot me down!! Love the cat in background.

22 Mar, 2013

 

The plant is a Muscari (Grape hyacinth).

22 Mar, 2013

 

Many thanks to you both!

22 Mar, 2013

 

P.S. I inherited this garden recently which is partly why I don't know the name of any of the plants in it. Another reason for this ignorance is that I am a complete gardening novice!
In this light perhaps someone can suggest why you might want to place small mirrors around the perimeter of a garden?(like the one behind my white cat in the picture). I'm a bit mystified by this, does it make the garden look bigger or something?

22 Mar, 2013

 

If you don't want the muscari taking over your flower bed dead head them before they set seed. The mirrors at that level might suggest they wanted to scare birds or cats.

22 Mar, 2013

 

The previous owners had cats so maybe they wanted to stop their cats from catching birds, hence the mirrors. Yes, that's a good theory, thanks.
I still see quite a few birds in the garden though but perhaps not at ground level where cats would catch them, I'll have to investigate further on that one!

22 Mar, 2013

 

I agree with Scotsgran unless you want the muscari to take over your garden deadhead with a passion!

22 Mar, 2013

 

I've put my muscari in a trough where they can't escape! So far they haven't seeded anywhere else, but they are on a patio so perhaps m9ice are eating any seed before it reaches the beds!

22 Mar, 2013

 

Yes, it does self-seed very easily. LIke above, I too have confined mine to pots and have deadheaded religiously. They are pretty though for a bit of colour at this time of year. Think the bees like them, so they are beneficial to have.

22 Mar, 2013

 

Great advice everyone, thanks. At what stage should I deadhead it? Is it obvious as to when the flowerhead is dead?

23 Mar, 2013

 

Yes it will be obvious. That beautiful blue will start to fade and then you will see green balls forming. I cut mine back as soon as they start to fade. The bulbs will also increase under the soil. If you pull one up you will see small bulbils growing from the base of the main bulb. That will make your patch of muscari look better because you get more flowers in a clump instead of them being seperate as they are now. As soon as you have achieved the size of clump you want dig out bulbs around the edges and pot them up and give them to friends or to sales of work ec. People will buy them because of the lovely blue.

23 Mar, 2013

How do I say thanks?

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