Muscari Armeniacum (30)

The classic grape hyacinth, Muscari armeniacum is a spring garden essential loved for its dense, jewel-bright spikes of deep violet-blue flowers, each tiny egg-shaped bloom neatly tipped in white. It's the variety most people picture when they think of muscari — simple, reliable, and utterly charming en masse.

Strong-growing and easy, this RHS Award of Garden Merit winner reaches around 20cm, with narrow, arching green foliage that appears in autumn ahead of the spring flowers. It naturalises freely to form generous drifts, making it ideal for underplanting beneath daffodils and tulips, edging borders, carpeting beneath trees and shrubs, or filling patio containers. Bees find it irresistible.

Plant bulbs in autumn, around 10cm deep, in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. As with all muscari, bulbs are ornamental only and should not be eaten; gloves are recommended when handling.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.