Remember months back when I wrote about lampascioni, the Italian wild onion bulbs that are really a muscari (Muscari comosum) that I purchased at my local greengrocer? Click here for a refresher and more details.

Well, here they are! Aren’t they fantastic? I love their feathery plumage (the tassel in their common name, Tassel Hyacinth) and the earthy-brown bells that flank the lower part of the stem.

I think they’re as interesting as a Fritillaria, but at a fraction of the cost.

The flowers that are currently coming up are the bulbs I planted in pots and overwintered in my cold “greenhouse.” The bulbs I planted outdoors aren’t doing anything yet, so it remains to be seen whether they have withstood being planted only one day before the first snowfall.

This fall, once the backyard garden is underway and less chaotic, I plan to plant the potted bulbs — and a few more perhaps — out there where they can naturalize and spread. I might even try cooking them again… maybe.