They have a sweet, grape-like scent and they cover the feet of daffodils with a cheery flash of bluish-purple. Oh, and the squirrels and chipmunks don’t bother the bulbs. For those reasons I want to plant even more grape hyacinths in the fall.
Most grape hyacinths grow about 6 to 8 inches tall and bloom in April or May. I’ve grown Muscari Blue Armeniacum and Muscari aucheri ‘Blue Magic’ with great success.
And every year I get excited when the alliums open. They bloom in the gap after most of the tulips and daffodils are finished but before most of the perennials get started.
Some of the cultivars are only hardy to Zone 5. I have the best luck with ‘Purple Sensation’ which grows 24-30 inches in Zones 4-8. The neighbors raise honeybees and I can always count on them to visit the alliums in May when not much else is blooming.