Steve, those look so pretty!!! Mulberry Rose. Most of mine are blooming right now. Most of them are 3 years or older, I plan on giving them a good bulb booster after the blooms are spent this spring. I too planted my hyacinths a foot deep or more, and yes good drainage is crucial for the their survival in our southern climate. :-)
Oops I got carried away - forgot this was a hyacinth thread!
Well Kim our bloomtimes do seem to coincide on almost everything :-) BTW I saw a beautiful camellia you posted.....I have two bushes and neither is doing well this year - both bloomed last year. Do they have special soil requirements? I am usually really a green thumb with just about everything - except I struggle with these. Had one at my last house, and it did, too.
likes Diahlianut said
...those are prettiful too
Ah, Steve. Camellias culture is very much like hydrangeas and Azaleas. They appreciate acidic soil and and shelter from our scrotching summer sun.
And yes, our blooms do correllate. I've seen liliums sprouting up too, yours? ^_^
Kim,
I think my soil here is alkaline - hmm I think you might have discovered my problem. I have azaleas also but heavily amended the soil I used with those with this coconut fiber that the nursery recommended to make it more acidic. Also have hydrangeas and they all bloom solid pink so my soil must be strongly alkaline. Thanks for the information and if I try another camellia I will amend the soil to maintain acidity.
Steve
Hi Steve,
On the camelias, mine are potted. One way to acidify is to use sphagnum moss as mulch.....very acid and they love it. Mine have been really easy to please, tolerating periods of drought when I forget to water!
Laura
I just them but they do not grow in my zone have to bring them in and it to much trouble so no more for me
I found they made beautifull buds and then most of the buds would just fall off without blooming
Hyacinth orientalis Splendid Cornelia
This is always one of my very first hyacinths and I have some that have been returning for 10 years. The flowers get looser and slimmer but still have strong stems. I love the lilac on the base of the pink florets . The pink is definitely a bluey pink not a clear pink. Fondant (aka Pink Frosting) is a clearer pink.
Chris
Hyacinth orientalis Woodstock
It is a modern hyacinth despite the old fashioned beetroot color and frilly look.
Chris
And SPENDIID it is too Chris. Incredible colour!
so beautifull I cant wait to see mine planted so many bulbs last fall
What a very nicely fragrant thread you all have started. I can almost smell them through the heaps of snow ;) MMMMmmmmmmmm....
yes like me you will now smell your own for about another 6 to 8 weeks hahahhahah
Welcome, Magnolialover.
What we really need is a "smell-o-vision" computer app! LOL
Chris
Thank you, Chris
Soooo true. I peek in over here every now and then and this is my favorite time of year for it ;) The time when the drab of winter has beat me down and the smellovision is turned on.
I go to the plant section at the supermarket to smell the flowers lol
I am getting desperate for spring to come and the smell of the trees starting to leaf out
and the clean up to begin I just love it getting a section done everyday gives me such satisfaction of accomplishment
I am so itching to get started but this darn snow need to vacate the sooner the better
sun finally came out this afternoon and the eves are dripping so I hope that means that slowly the snow is going down
Those are very nice, Chris - I have some Woodstocks too - my Splendid Cornelias were usually the first to bloom at my old house. I do not have any where I currently live.
Here is a nice little hyacinth today:
I have lots of them blooming now, like you do
One more...
wow so beautifull I am so envious mine are still buried under a few feet of snow hahahha oh well I now get to enjoy your and later mine
Nice variety of hyacinths, Steve. Yours are a couple of weeks ahead of mine. The only ones blooming, except for Splendid Cornelia, are newly planted bulbs. My established beds have sprouts and buds that are beginning to color.. so it won't be long. I still have some Dec planted bulbs that don't even have sprouts showing yet, so I'm beginning to get a bit concerned. But I know that their first year bloom time is not indicative of when they will bloom in later years.
Chris
Most of my hyacinths are also blooming here. Though, I don't know their name, these are several years old in my perennial bed.
Thanks Chris, but you have way more varieties than I do. Yes mine are about a week to two weeks earlier than usual - for the ones that have ben in the ground awhile. Like yo, the first-year blooms are normally earlier than the others. I think all of the ones I have posted so far have been in the ground 2-3 years and some I brought from my previous home.
Those are pretty, Kim. Yes our bloom times do seem to coincide on just about everything. I think our climates must be very similar though you likely get more rain than I do.
Here is "Apple Blossom" I bought from WFF three falls ago. Very pale pink but pretty in the right light. I planted some blues with it by mistake.
This message was edited Feb 26, 2009 8:57 PM
Sparky likes hyacinths too
^_^
plant the seeds a cross between the blue and the pale ones will be very nice
Mulberry Rose more open
Steve: I don't have Apple Blossom which is a pre 1954 cultivar. Don't know how I missed it in the WFF catalog, except I don't usually look there for hyacinths. But thanks to you I have put in on my search list for this fall. It certainly is unusually pale pink. Very elegant with the soft blue one--sometimes planting mistakes are serendipitous.
Love those red stems on Mulberry Rose--it sort of sets off the florets especially when they get a bit less dense, also is a contrast with the leaves With dark stems on a deep blue or purple hyacinth it seems to make the whole flower look darker . I've started to note which of mine have red stems, and which have little dark tips on the leaf sprouts since it helps me id them if they start to grow too close to their neighbors. Did I mention that I'm a wee bit obsessed with hyacinths? LOL!!
Chris
Hyacinth orientalis Mirtilos (Blueberry)
I went out in the garden to do some weeding and couldn't resist this color. The name Mirtilos means Bilberry or Blueberry (Spanish?) and I think it was aptly named. These are very strong and tall hyacinths but this spot has shade in the afternoon. (The reason the photo looks sideways is that this bloom was so heavy that it was leaning over. )
Chris
WOWSER! Incredible colour.
Wow, that "Mirtilos" is a very beautiful shade of blue, Chris. You have some really unique colors. In fact you might have more hyacinth varieties than anyone outside of the professional breeders! LOL Yes, I can appreciate your love of hyacinths as I love them too, and it's actually one of my favorite flowers. It's a shame that today hyacinths aren't more popular than they are because they're so wonderful and they really do perform well in many areas of the country and in warmer climates than, say tulips will, and are also much better perennializers in climates like yours and mine than are tulips. It is a shame they don't get more attention and enjoy a bigger market share. Even as they loosen in form over time they're quite showy and beautiful. I plant more and more every year.
I vote for that.
me to that is such a nice color
Beautimus!!!
Here is "Vuurbaak" in its third year. These get looser/thinner over time than most I have but still one of my favorites. I love the color.
This has got to be "Marie" because I didn't plant anything else this dark in this bed.
still very pretty, I love the colors and the scent
Hyacinth orientalis Skyline
New to me this year, ordered from Jackson and Perkins. Planted in a mixed clump with L'Innocence. The color of Skyline is unusual soft lilac blue and has no stripe. The turqouise base of the flower is more pronounced in the photo than in real life. This photo was taken in bright sunlight between the rain and hail storms. I was worried they would all be beaten into the ground.
very nice pic
they are very strong mine have survived full blown snow storms with a foot of snow and they are just a wonderfull when the snow melts does not seem to bother them
one year we had three weeks in january in the 60sF and they had started growing and the buds came and then three more months of winter and they bloomed fine
Sciciarella: 3 months of Canadian winter AFTER they began growing buds and no harm to the blooms. That's impressive! I have no experience growing them in those kinds of conditions. One of the great things about Dave's Garden is that gardeners from many difffernt zones get to share their knowledge and experience. Thanks.
