Muscari ... and some relatives 2010

[Ragged Robin]

Muscari Valerie Finnis is flowering for the first time here although the leaves came up last Autumn.  Now they snake around the emerging flower heads like the Gorgon's head tresses.

I wanted to find out more about Valerie Finnis:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1532586/Valerie-Finnis.html

[cohan]

Muscari Valerie Finnis is flowering for the first time here although the leaves came up last Autumn.  Now they snake around the emerging flower heads like the Gorgon's head tresses.

I wanted to find out more about Valerie Finnis:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1532586/Valerie-Finnis.html

great little plant, and very nice article--really paints a picture of a life, another time and place!

[ashley]

Very nice Valerie Finnis Robin, and such good foliage

Bellevalia forniculata
flowering with me for the first time.  Unfortunately I failed to capture its bright blue slightly tinged with green.
    Pic 1, JJA pop. no. 0227770 (W of Eleskirt, Agri, Turkey), sown Sept 07. 
    Pic 2, SRGC seedex, sown Jan 08.
Differences between the two forms are fairly slight.

Bellevalia romana
SRGC seedex, sown Jan 07 & second season flowering

[Ragged Robin]

Thanks Cohan and Ashley, I really like this Muscari too and was interested to read about Valerie Finnis and her involvement in promoting Alpine plants.

Bellevalia forniculata has the appeal of a brighter blue tinged with green and I wonder how this one matures in flower Ashley - congratulations on its first flowering

[ashley]

I suspect this is about as mature as it gets Robin, before going over.

[Anthony Darby]

Here's Muscari botryoides 'Carneum'.

[Janis Ruksans]

Here's Muscari botryoides 'Carnium'.

CARNEUM

[Anthony Darby]

Thanks Janis. I've corrected it. I sometimes have to guess what's written on the label. Revisiting it I suppose it does look more like an 'e' than an 'i'.

[Ragged Robin]

A lovely Muscari Anthony, the pink is so delicate and the stem is a wonderful reddish colour - is that where the 'Carneum' name comes from?

[Ragged Robin]

This group of Muscari is now 3 years old originally found in another part of the garden - I think it's Muscari neglectum?

In CU it's the nearest I have seen to the bloom on the black grapes in the valley here - a real grape hyacinth 

[Regelian]

Robin,

carnea/carneum means flesh, therefore pink.  Not red as in meat.  Red is typically designated via sanguinea (blood coloured).

[Ragged Robin]

Thanks for the explanation Jamie - I couldn't find the word in my dictionary so I was curious..

[Wim de Goede]

Muscari Valerie Finnis is flowering for the first time here although the leaves came up last Autumn.  Now they snake around the emerging flower heads like the Gorgon's head tresses.

I wanted to find out more about Valerie Finnis:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1532586/Valerie-Finnis.html

Hi Ragged I can tell more about Muscari Valerie Finnis, it was in 1985 when I viseted Wayne Roderick and after making a trip trough the wild we did some gardening in his garden and it then I saw this Muscari  for the first tlme.
In the Summer he send me about all the bulbs he had, we grew it on for a couple af year and because Wayne had told me he got it from Valerie Finnis (Lady Scot) who had fond it in Turkey we wrote on the lable Valerie Finnis and when he stay with us in 1990  he saw the lable and told me I should first ask Valerie Finnes if it was allow to us her name and that is what we did and she was very pleased to give her name.
So in 1993 I think it was it was regetrated by the Nomeclature in Holland.
Wim

[Janis Ruksans]

Few grape hyacinths:

Muscari macrocarpum LST-390 - one of species with strongest aroma

Muscari "miniarmeniacum" most likely new species, with many threadlike leaves and tiny brightest blue flowerspikes

Muscari polyanthum some botanists regards as synonym of M. armeniacum, but its leaves are wider, they are formed only in spring (in case of armeniacum - in autumn), ecology is different, too.

Muscari turcicum has violet shaded flowers

and at end a pair of yet unidentified species.

Janis

[Ragged Robin]

Muscari "miniarmeniacum" most likely new species, with many threadlike leaves and tiny brightest blue flowerspikes

Such an incredible blue!

Muscari turcicum has violet shaded flowers

Most unusual - is it from Turkey?

Muscari macrocarpum LST-390 - one of species with strongest aroma

There is something fascinating about this one and I wonder what the fragrance is like