Hyacinths Spring 2009

as long as it says zone 3 to 5 at the low point they can survive the next ice age hahahah

Another of Hyacinth orientalis Skyline ----that soft almost sky blue is quite unusual among my hyacinths.

Hyacinthus orientalis Gipsy/Gypsy Princess---a yellow sport of the salmon Gypsy Queen. First year for me.

Hyacinthus orientalis China Pink. I love this soft pale pink. These are bulbs that I planted last Dec. I have others that have been blooming for many years, but they grow in a shady area and have gotten very slender and sparce. They seem to have a prominent pink stripe, also. Maybe these will develop the stripe as the flowers age?

wow so nice cant wait for mine to come up they have started but then it got cold again so they are just pocking out of the grounds all I need is about two weeks of warmer weather and I will have my own they smell so nice just love it

Hyacinthus orientalis Rosette

I love this one!! It is double, but unusual the way the florets hang like bells.

actually looks like the blooms are tripled very nice

That's outstanding! and it does look tripled.

so beautifull I just love hyacinths the blooms the smell and what they stand for spring yes yes yes let them grow

That Rosette is really nice, Chris - you have such interesting varieties.

^_^

One hyacinth bed today with Narcissus Trevithian. Hyacinths in front row(L-R) are Red Rocket, L'Innocence?, and Red Diamond. This bed was planted in Dec 2006 so this is the 3rd year of bloom.

Hyacinth Princes Maria Christina

Planted in 2002 and has bloomed every spring since 2003.

Hyacinth orientalis Mulberry Rose


Finally bloomed--weeks after yours, Steve.

Chris, Interesting how the bloom-times can all become so separated! My hyacinths are all just about finished at this time. I LOVE Princes Maria C. and in fact had that planted at my old house - I have not been able to find it since, as OHG was the only source I knew of that offered it and they do not offer it every year. Where did you get yours?

Steve: My source in 2002 was OHG, also. I have never seen it available from any other source.
Some of their rarest bulbs come from the British National Collection holder, Alan Shipp.

Gorgeous hyacinchs Chris, just gorgeous!!! And the fragrance!!! I bet it perfumes the entire block of your neighborhood!

I love OHG hyacinths and buy some every year. They are not cheap but i have found they persist really well like with Chris, and they offer so many unusual varieties.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is OHG?

Velnita, that is Old House Gardens.

:-)

Thanks....going to check it out now.

why dont you let the plant go to seed and then send some to your friend here to everyone can be happy

Hyacinth orientalis Raphael

Very exotic and frilly looking!! I'm not even sure it is fully open yet. Not your grandmother's hyacinth. Wonderfully fragrant. This the first year I have grown this hyacinth so I don't know anything about whether it will return for me or not. I found this in the Brent and Becky's Bulb catalog.

it should come back if your wet season is long enough to get it going

Hyacinths from seed--who wants to experiment?

I have to admit that I am skeptical about growing hyacinths from seed--not questioning that it can be done, but just about the speed to bloom time and the quality(e.g. trueness) of the blooms. I am proposing to test this with a simple experiment--I'll collect and plant some hyacinth seeds from one variety as soon as my hyacinths produce them this year and then I will make notes and take photos of what happens in the next couple of years. To be sure that I am looking at only the seedlings and not some leaves and blooms from split bulbs, I will plant my seeds in a separate area, away from my exisiting bulbs. Results to be posted on DG each year. Maybe I should set up a separate Hyacinth Propagation thread for the results.

It would be even more useful to DGers if a few of you would be willing to do the same experiment so we could compare results in our different zones. It should be pretty easy-- plant a few seeds, keep track of a few dates and take photos to post. Are there any of you who would like to join this? :>)
You can contact me via D-mail if you prefer.

Chris

I have been doing it for years and its easy and works great

Hi, all!

Just found the thread and I've been thoroughly enjoying all of your chat and beautiful hyacinth photos!

My daffs are getting into high season now along with a few of my hyacinths, but I can see that I need many more hyacinths for next year to 'complete' the landscape.

So, I was wondering if you all know of a really good hyacinth supplier (other than the usual bulb suppliers like B & B, Scheepers, and so on.). I thought maybe there exists a good website (maybe Dutch) that carries lots and lots of photos and info,.

Anybody know of such a source?

Thanks so much, t.

This is one of my pots of Hyacinths from last year. (I wish I could remember which kind it is so that I could buy more. Any ideas? (-:

Hi Tabasco,

Suggestions for good info on hyacinths :

1. Plant Files here on daves garden--just search for hyacinthus orientalis and I think you will find 80+ entries, many with photos

2. Royal Horiticultural Society publication The Garden Mar 2008 pp184-7
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Learning/Publications/pubs/garden0308/hyacinths.htm


3. Note the RHS is conducting a field trial of hyacinths. No trial results have been published, yet, but here is the link to the site where I think the results will be available in a Bulletin (as a pdf). I already found some other great info on muscari and lavender on this site.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Learning/Publications/pubs_bulletins.htm

4. Geoff Stebbings book "Spring Bulbs" -has one of the most complete discussions of how to grow hyacinths with lots of photos, plus some info on the breeder and what is known about parentage. His info on history is similar to what is in the book from the Hortus Bulborum in Holland. See The Garden Bookworm here on Dave's.

I have not found many good sites online--most are just a catalog photo and typical catalog info.

5. Cornell University did a multi year study of which hyacinths pernennialzie best in Zones 5, 6 and 7.
I can't find the link to this study right now, but will dig a bit further later. I have a printed copy just in case.
The link to the pdf is posted in my Feb 19 message above.

As you can probably tell, I am a bit obsessed with hyacinths. Hope this helps
Chris

This message was edited Mar 31, 2009 3:59 PM

This message was edited Apr 1, 2009 9:14 AM

finally all the bulbs plants in my garden are about three inches tall so blooms are on the way yes and the last three days we got lots of rain and that is what got them going, and I was cursing the rain hahahhaah sunny tomorrow and now they will just take off really quck hoping for something to bloom by next week

Hi, Chris,

Thanks for the good links about Hyacinths. I will have a lovely evening studying them!

FYI, in case you don't know it, according to the London Times you are quite on the cutting edge of 'flower fashion'. It seems that the hyacinths are really making a comeback after years of unpopularity: http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/article662031.ece

I think it's interesting that today's hyacinth fanciers in England are rediscovering lots of lost varieties that have been maintained through the years in eastern Europe.

If you get a chance I would love to see the list of hyacinths for perennializing.

Happy gardening. t.

These are a few of my 'Woodstocks':

Hi T,

Well, it's unusual for me to be "in fashion" on anything, but glad that hyacinths are generating some interest again. Thanks for the link to The Times article.

Here's the link to the pdf of the results of the Cornell study on perennialization of hyacinths.
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/wmiller/bulb/No4Oct2004.pdf

After planting 20 bulbs of each cultivar they compare the number of blooms produced in their 3rd season for each cultivar in each of 3 zones. They also compare full sun vs part shade. There are some significant differences in performance between the zones for different cultivars and sometimes for the same cultivar. The cultivars they used are all quite available, so I hope you can find some good ones to try in your zone and your sun/shade situation.

Chris

I've been lurking throughout this thread and enjoying the info shared. Hyacinths have always been favorites of mine. Here in Kentucky I'm finding them to be good perennials. At my last home, in a moist, wooded setting, they surprised me by returning well in all but one spot I tried them (where I think it was too moist). I'm now living in an open, sunny area that tends to be dry in summer, and this is my 2nd year with Hyacinths here. Carnagie, Fondant, Blue Jacket, Jan Bos, and Gypsy have all returned beautifully this year, most bulbs still producing 1 large flower spike.

Last fall I added Splendid Cornelia and Miss Saigon, both planted late and just budding. For the next few years I'll be concentrating on more common varieties, in an effort to have enough to enjoy the scent everywhere in the garden! After that I'll be looking forward to trying some of the less common varieties.

Chris, I like the idea of trying some from seed! I've been experimenting with a few bulb plants from seed the last few years and finding it quite fun. I'm such a flower pig, I'm up for trying any form of propagation, LOL.
Neal

Hi, again, Chris, and thanks for the cornell link.

I spent some time looking at Plant Files Hyacinths and now have determined that you have the 'National Collection' for the United States! Yours are quite splendid and varied! And I hope you are going to write a book on them!

And, Gem, I have been thinking of you and your bulbs this month. Those wonderful perennializing daffs you sent me a couple of years ago are really blooming beautifully under my dogwood in the back and everytime I look out the kitchen window I think of you!

For anyone lurking and interested in the results of Cornell's trial for "Best Hyacinths for Perennializing", here's the results list from Old House Gardens website (see the link below for more details).

1. ‘Atlantic’, 1986 = 90 (35, 30, 25)
2. ‘Fondant’, 1983 = 83 (28, 36, 19)
3. ‘City of Haarlem’, 1893 = 72 (32, 19, 21)
4. ‘Gipsy Queen’, 1927 = 70 (26, 17, 27)
5. ‘Carnegie’, 1935 = 66 (22, 25, 19)
Coming in seventh was ‘Lady Derby’ of 1875 with 63 bloom-stalks (the top performer in Clemson), and all the rest of the top ten dated to the 1940s and 50s. Heirlooms rule!

And lots more info on Hyacinths in the Old House Garden's Hyacinth Newsletter: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/HyacinthArchives.asp

And if you look down the OHG webpage you will see a reference to a 'Steve' from 'Fort Worth' and I wonder if that's the same 'Steve' who has all the beautiful bulbs here on Dave's?

Happy gardening to everyone. It is really a pretty day here! t.

This is a little mixed pot of bulbs I made up last year. I just previewed it and see that it's sideways and I can't figure out how to take it off and make it straight! Sorry, it was straight when I viewed it on my viewer! )-:

It doesn't need to be right-side up to be pretty. Very nice colors!

Lovely planter tabasco! Tulips, daffs and hyacinths are such perfect companions- such nice contrasts in form. So glad to hear those daffs have multiplied enough to show off for you!

I've been doing some googling for info on growing Hyacinths from seed, and not finding much. One site did have a section on growing them from seed, but simply said to treat them as other perennials. I'm thinking using the winter sowing method would probably work well; that's how I have the best luck with other perennials.

Last year I started some Pineapple Lilies from seed and when I put them in a larger pot a few weeks ago I was happy to see the bulbs are between quarter and 50cent piece size now. Also received a little bulb from another member a few years ago of an Amaryllis he started from seed (about the size of a quarter at the time), and it has its first bloom stalk emerging! These little successes have inspired me with bulb plants from seed.

I wonder if Hyacinth seeds are best sown fresh, as soon as the dry seeds are released from the pods, or if they need cold stratification?

Gem: Here's some good talk on how to grow hyacinths from seed:

http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-propagate-hyacinths.html

And a GW thread that suggests collecting the seed and sowing it 4 months later (sounds like a Wintersowing technique as you suggested) http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/seed/msg0522454424671.html

It looks like it takes about 3 years to get a bloom.

I have grown them from seed many times and its easy just have the patience to wait for the blooms

mine are finally coming up lol maybe blooms someday

Your little green Hyacinth looks promising, scicciarella!

Now you all have me obsessed about hyacinths!

If you're into ;garden writing' here's an essay about Hyacinth growing in The Netherlands from "Duth Bulbs and Gardens" (Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall) London, 1909. A lot of detail here:

http://www.kellscraft.com/DutchBulbs/dutchbulbsch3.html

And additional esoterica on Hyacinths here: http://www.kellscraft.com/DutchBulbs/dutchbulbsapp1.html

And, Gem, if you skim down to Chapter IV of the above page, they spend a lot of time discussing growing H. from seed. Could be interesting.

That's all for today! t.

the one thing about growing hyacinths from seeds is to not let the plant produce seeds every year so do it one year and skip a couple and make sure to fertilize the plants they like bone meal so they will bloom nice the next year or you can do what I do is to pull them in the fall and take off the babies and plant them seperately so they will not get to crowded because that is the main reason that blooms dont do well on mature plants

I purchased these Hyacinths because I found their violet color unique and fascinating, The buds were still closed, and I replanted into CoCo Peat with a thick Seramis drainage layer, and I was rewarded by an exquisite evolvement of the flowers. The color suggests that hese are "Woodstock" but I tend to exclude this now because the flowers I obtained are so accurately shaped. All the single potted bulbs in the shelter had 2 scapes, and now, I do regret hat I did not buy more of them. I have never had so much joy out of Hyacinths, and I shall definitely keep them bulbs. I did not find any information how and when pollination is to be performed in order to obtain the maximum yield of seeds, and I used a thin and soft brush andI turned it gently in the fully open flowers in order to achieve self pollination..

Those look much like 'Miss Saigon' I have blooming in a pot now too.