I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after freeze-up.
This is the third year I do this mulching.

Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming up. I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter. So
I just put the leaves back.

"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...
I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it.
I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after
freeze-up.
This is the third year I do this mulching.

Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There
must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming up. I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter.
So
I just put the leaves back.

Don't worry about it. Nothing will kill them and eventually they will take
over your bed. Mine have been up for a couple of moths here in zone 6.
They will be just fine and bloom as expected in the spring.

"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...

I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after freeze-up.

This is the third year I do this mulching.

Mulching is always good, especially in Zone 3 a..........(where on earth do
you garden, Joe??....brrrrrrrr)



Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

Not a problem. Muscari send up their grassy foliage first, and THEN the
little conical "helmets" of flowers..........



What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not coming
up.

Those bulbs are way smarter than the muscari. And the muscari are tough,
they'll be fine. The others will wait until true springtime to show their
noses....

I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter. So I just put
the leaves back.

You did fine. They'll bloom in late January or February (or the normal month
when yours bloom) and unless you have no snow cover, they'll survive just
fine. With a zone as cold as yours, snow cover is the best friend your
bulbs have got!

madgardener, up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

"madgardener" wrote in message
...

"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...


What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming
up.

Those bulbs are way smarter than the muscari. And the muscari are tough,
they'll be fine. The others will wait until true springtime to show their
noses....

Maybe not. I have tulips planted between my hostas. When I cleared away
the last of the dead hosta leaves two weeks ago, I noticed that the tulips
had begun to emerge. I have some alliums inter-planted with daylilies and
they are also sending up foliage. My Dutch iris are up about 18 inches.

You are not very observant. Muscari send up their foliage in the autumn
every year with no harm to the plant.



"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...
I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after
freeze-up.
This is the third year I do this mulching.

Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There
must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming up. I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter.
So
I just put the leaves back.

Worry not, muscari are infamous for doing this. I would find it unusual if
they did NOT emerge in fall. They are always just fine come spring here in
zone 6, and I suspect they will be ok for you as well. At worst the foliage
will look a bit ratty, but the blooms will be ok.

Do you have reliable snow cover over the winter? Ours is sporadic; bare
ground and very low temperatures are tough on plants, but snow cover is like
an insulating blanket.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...
I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after
freeze-up.
This is the third year I do this mulching.

Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There
must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming up. I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter.
So
I just put the leaves back.

"Cereus-validus..." wrote in message
m...
You are not very observant. Muscari send up their foliage in the autumn
every year with no harm to the plant.

as do mine every year. Maybe since Joe gardens in zone 3, it's either too
frelling cold to be observing foliage on his muscari plantings or they're
covered by now with a good blanket of snow! gbseg
maddie

In article kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no, "Joe" wrote:

I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after freeze-up.
This is the third year I do this mulching.

Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming up. I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter. So
I just put the leaves back.

Unlike the majority of grape hyacinths, Muscari botryoides as a rule
produces autumn grass, though it blooms in spring the same time as other
species. Having never gardened in a really cold place, I dunno if the
muscari grass will thrive in zone 3A, though I'd think it'd be done in by
a good freeze, unlike my zone 8 where it stays lovely & nice all winter
long.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

paghat wrote:

Unlike the majority of grape hyacinths, Muscari botryoides as a rule
produces autumn grass, though it blooms in spring the same time as
other
species. Having never gardened in a really cold place, I dunno if the
muscari grass will thrive in zone 3A, though I'd think it'd be done in
by
a good freeze, unlike my zone 8 where it stays lovely & nice all
winter
long.


Last winter was the worst winter in years here. We had a great number of
nights below freezing, numerous days below freezing, and even a three
day stretch below zero. My Muscari foliage was even encased in ice. They
bloomed just fine when spring came.

I can't say the same for the buddleia next to them that became so
weighted-down with ice that the trunk split. I didn't think anything
short of digging it out of the ground would kill it, but Ma Nature
proved me wrong on that one!

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Black & Decker Landscaping Tools:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker

"Cereus-validus..." wrote in message
m...
You are not very observant.

Thanks ;-) love you too.

"madgardener" wrote in message
...

"Joe" wrote in message
news:kv%vd.525483$%k.127687@pd7tw2no...

I live in Zone 3A and have a mixed rose border with lots of bulbs in it. I
applied a heavy mulch of leaves over my bulbs a good while after
freeze-up.

This is the third year I do this mulching.

Mulching is always good, especially in Zone 3 a..........(where on earth
do
you garden, Joe??....brrrrrrrr)


Alberta. Actually most hardy bulbs love it here, the conditions are just
like back home in central Asia.



Now I looked under and lots of Muscari are poking up. Oh dear. There must
have been more heat still trapped in there than I thought.

Not a problem. Muscari send up their grassy foliage first, and THEN the
little conical "helmets" of flowers..........


Yes, a revelation about Muscari. I had no idea.




What's odd is I thought this growth could not happen without a good hard
cold dormancy period. My tulips, narcissi and everything else are not
coming
up.

Those bulbs are way smarter than the muscari. And the muscari are tough,
they'll be fine. The others will wait until true springtime to show their
noses....

I certainly can't save the muscari from the rest of winter. So I just put
the leaves back.

You did fine. They'll bloom in late January or February (or the normal
month
when yours bloom) and unless you have no snow cover, they'll survive just
fine. With a zone as cold as yours, snow cover is the best friend your
bulbs have got!

The snow is at times unreliable, like now. Leaves or whatever are very
important for moderating those temperature swings.


madgardener, up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

"SugarChile" wrote in message
.net...
Worry not, muscari are infamous for doing this. I would find it unusual
if
they did NOT emerge in fall. They are always just fine come spring here
in
zone 6, and I suspect they will be ok for you as well. At worst the
foliage
will look a bit ratty, but the blooms will be ok.

Do you have reliable snow cover over the winter? Ours is sporadic; bare
ground and very low temperatures are tough on plants, but snow cover is
like
an insulating blanket.

Cheers,
Sue


Thanks Sue. We can't count on good snow, the nearby mountains tend to cause
a precipitation shadow, and the high winds often evaporate whats left. It's
a real challenge gardening here. But despite that it's a rewarding
activity.