Hyacinthus, Heirloom Dutch Hyacinth 'Oranje Boven'

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Orange Boven' blooms in early March in my Zone 9 garden. The flower is shorter than average hyacinths and much mo...Read Morere dainty. It looks closer to a french roman type of hyacinth than the big dense blooms of the more typical hyacinths.

I leave the bulbs in the ground and keep them dry all summer. 'Orange Boven' seems to have split into many smaller bulbs that produce leaves but not blooms. I hope they may bloom again as the bulbs get larger.

A heirloom introduced in 1870 by A. van Schie. Note that in some books this is also known as Hyacinth 'Salmonetta'.

Orange isn't adequate to describe the flower color--think orange sherbet brushed with lines of raspberry sherbet. Heirloom variety.