Roman Blue hyacinth--first bloom open in new hyacinth bed!
These are so delicate with much narrower petals than the usual hyacinths. Some describe them as looking more like a wild flower . To give you an idea of size from ground to top is about 7.5 inches tall in this photo. The leaves are only about 3 inches tall.
The blue is quite an intense, bright blue.
Beautiful, Chris. Such an electric blue.
Pink Roman Hyacinth--first blooms
The first pink Roman has just opened . Seems to be only a week or so later than the blue.
About 50 % of the hyacinths in this bed have sprouts just breaking through the surface. I find new ones almost every day.
Chris
Blue Roman Hyacinth with multiple stems
--showing multiple stems from one bulb . Although I said one bulb, these had a larger central bulb with several attached bulblets around the outside, of various sizes--possibly some too small to bloom. I tried to plant them with care not to separate any of the bulblets. This is no doubt how the Roman types form clumps.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2010 12:45 PM
The Roman Hyacinths look wonderful. Wish I had some of those!
Some of the main season hyacinths in the new bed are up with nice buds.
Front: Muscari armeniacum front border with clump of Hy o Vuurbaak
Back: Hy o Amsterdam (vibrant cerise) --somehow I don't remember my other Amsterdam looking quite so pink? , also small bud of Hy o Blue Sapphire
The bed is so large it is hard to get it all in one photo and still be able to distinguish the varieties at this stage. However, as they open more and fill out, I will try to get some better shots.
More buds...
Hyacinthus orientalis Chestnut Flower in center
Hy o General Kohler behind
Muscari armeniacum front border
Front edge of bed with muscari in full bloom and hyacinth buds behind. Also some narcissus buds.
Wow Chris that's absolutely gorgeous - especially that last shot of the Muscari. What a terrific way you captured it.
Chris your pictures are great!!!
Chris, is this the first year you've had the grape hyacinths? They are really beautiful. Your photographs are excellent, by the way. The colors are fantastic.
Current status of my new hyacinth bed on Feb 28 2010.
The Roman Hyacinths, both pink and blue in full bloom and falling over, the brilliant red single bloom is Amsterdam, others are just sprouts and buds in various stages of development. I expect many of the buds to be open by next week.
The front border is Muscari in full bloom, and the back border is a combination of Narcissus Fortissimo (with bud shoots but no color ) , Tulip Don Quixote(small reddish sprouts).Interesting that there seems to be a wide area in the middle of the bed with no hyacinth sprouts?? I don't know if they are just late varieties, or if something has happened--rot (we have had a lot of rain and the bed is pretty muddy, but I put a pea gravel layer under the baskets), or critters (they are all in wire baskets) or ??
NLaw: I have grown muscari for many years, have several cultivars like Blue Skies, Cambridge, ambrosiacum, Saffir and the common armeniacum. They come back and multiply quite well here, but gophers just love them. I just have not used them in my hyacinth beds before.
Beautiful terraced garden, Chris!!!
Chris, I am loving this thread. Your bulbs are a treat to see.
Thanks for the information on your muscari. All my bulbs are new this year, so I don't know quite what to expect. I will be very happy if my muscari multiply and look as great as yours.
Thanks, Steve
When life gives a gardener a hillside, she's just gotta make terraces.
In a word, wow.
Donna
Bed 10 on Mar 3, 2010
More buds are coloring and opening and more sprouts are popping up .
Hyacinth Vuurbaak cluster with Muscari on right and Hyacinth Blue Sapphire bud in rear.
Vuurbaak is a very bright pink that is tough for me to capture in a photo.
Chris
Vuurbaak is one of my very favorites...
Left side of bed
Finally the hyacinths are beginning to really bloom and fill in, especially the left side of the bed. It seems that by chance I planted more late bloomers at the right end. These are primarily the cultivars I listed in my first message at the top of this thread.
Right side of bed:
This is my first year growing hyacinths in Richmond. The varieties I chose are supposed to do well in zone 9. I always thought hyacinths were for everybody north of zone 9. But Bert had a wonderful deal and I got some as a test. I combined Blue Ice (a very pale blue/violet) with Atlantic, a med. blue. I was not disappointed, but I do have one regret: I should have gotten more! Oh well, there's always next year and maybe they will perennialize for me.
Chris, didn't you post somewhere that over the years your hyacinths bloom at a declining rate? Did I dream this?
Vossner, great color combination!
You didn't dream it. Most, but not all, of my hyacinths decline over the years--most decline by producing smaller, looser/less dense flowers, and also fewer flower spikes, especially by their 3rd blooming season. However, Blue Ice (sometimes listed as Koh -I Nor) has bloomed every year since 2004. I planted 4 bulbs in 2003 and every year since I get 4 nice blooms. They are a bit taller and narrower than others. Some other hyacinths have multiplied, seemingly split into smaller non blooming or small blooming bulbs that get bigger the next year.
I am growing Atlantic this year for the first time. In the regional tests done by Cornell it was one of the recommended perennializers in the warm zones. I'll be keeping track in my garden, and very interested in how it does long term in yours.
Chris
Nery, I agree with Chris - they do decline but seem to keep flowering for many years. The change from year one to year two is most dramatic but I have found the decline in years after that is much smaller. I still have some after four years however that produce relatively dense flower spikes.
Beautiful pics BTW - Chris and Nery. Mine are just starting to open and I have only a few in flower.
I just love the hyacinth pics. I had Chestnut Flower surrounded by white anemone blanda in white and Madame Sophie surrounded by anemone blanda in pink at the base of some lilacs and let the lilacs "eat them". I think I'm going to have to get them again. Too beautiful to be without!
This is IT! -- PEAK Bloom for the next week or so. I will post whenever I can get the time and the light is right. Wish I could post a whiff of the fragrance.
There are still a few late ones that are only buds, but should be blooming very soon.
Far Right end of Bed 10.
Buds in front are Kronos and Violet Smith
In back are Amsterdam (cherry pink), Sapphire, Firelights and Fondant
Left part of Bed 10 -- a Sea of Blue
Dreadnought(on left with dark stems), Purple Sensation(in back on far left) , Atlantic, Lady Derby (pink) , White Pearl, Blue Magic, Unkown light blue in front(sent to me as Odysseus but it is not that), Pink Roman( in back), General Kohler (tall blue on right). Narcissus Fortissimo is nearly ready to open.
Back row on Left side of Bed 10
Somehow, I seem to have planted a lot of tall ones in the front row and shorter ones in the back. Oh well...
from right to left: Apricot Passion, Pink Roman (tall), Blue Magic, White Pearl, Atlantic
Thank you for sharing - I still have snow in my yard - I never posted to this thread, but I subscribed last year in anticipation of these pictures. Thank you for your brightness. I tried to scratch and sniff the screen - didn't work. :(
Lovely picture of them in bloom. I only have wood Hyacinths in my garden and those things multiply like rabbitts!
Oh, I wish you could post a whiff of the fragrance too, Chris! We can just TRY to imagine it...
Chris - this is wonderful. Your colors are so gorgeous, and you have so many I never planted. I've been going through Brnet and Becky's fall catalog (now on line) and making wicked plans, inspired by you.
Donna
I am so pleased that everyone is enjoying the photos. Thank you for all your kind comments.
Donna--I also checked out B and B's catalog--the hyacinth section, of course. They have a great selection. Had thoughts of orders that flagrantly disregard the budget--it happens whenever I get bulb catalogs.
Ah, Chris, you and I are of one mind!
Hyacinth bed in nearly full bloom.
There are still a few that are only buds or partial open, but I think this is really the peak of bloom. By the time the late comers are full open some of the early ones will be past the peak and falling over. The daffies in the back are N. Fortissimo--very tall, but that bold color seems to work with the riot of hyacinth colors.
Hyacinth bed from Right end.
Another view.
Hyacinth bed Left end
Yet, another view.
chris, what is the very dark blue hyacinth that appears to the right of the pic, next to the pinks. It is awesome. You do a great job of getting truly blue h. My selections turned out to be purplish blue. Not complaining, just saying I was going for regular blue but didn't quite get it. Thank goodness, there's always next year.
Hyacinth orientalis Firelights
A new hyacinth for me. Not sure when it was released, but I haven't seen it before. I am growing Gipsy Queen in the same bed, but they are not open yet. When they are I hope to compare them to Firelights.
Steve,
That dark blue next to the pinks is Blue Magic. Supposed to develop a white eye as it ages, but haven't seen that yet.
I have another new very dark blue called Blue Sapphire that I will post in a few minutes. It is almost inky, but without reddish tones like some, at least that's what I see.
I am often surprised that the colors in my photos don't quite reflect what my eye/brain sees. I know the lighting makes a big difference. I try to take photos without a flash, but before the sun makes it to this bed, still sometimes I don't capture it. I have thought of biting the bullet and buying a the official RHS color deck to use for comparison, so I can be more accurate in my color descriptions, but so far, haven't resigned myself to paying the big bucks for them.
Chris
OOPs.... Steve, I may have misunderstood which photo you were referring to. The deep blue in the Right End view is Blue Sapphire. The one in the Left End view is Blue Magic.
This message was edited Mar 14, 2010 4:21 PM
