Bulbs > Hyacinth

General information on hyacinths:

Genus
Hyacinthus (perennial)

Appearance
A spring flower with a single spike of bloom. Highly scented. Often grown indoors.

Bulbs
Hyacinth bulbs can be bought from The Green Chronicle Online Shop (for U.K. delivery).

Propagation
Hyacinths prefer a warm loamy soil and do not do very well in cold heavy soils. They should be planted outside in mid-October 2-3" deep and 8" apart. The bulbs should be lifted after flowering, put in a cool dry shed to dry off and then stored in boxes until mid-October.
Hyacinths should not be grown in the same place for 2 years running and the bed should be well dug with plenty of moisture retaining peat or hop manure.
It is usual to plant top-size bulb in pots for indoors and second-size bulbs outside as they tend to be less top heavy. Blooms should be removed as soon as they begin to turn brown. Leave the stalk and leaves to die back so that the bulb can be used again.
Indoor bulbs should be planted in bowls in peat or leaf mould and put in a dark place, a cellar, cupboard or plunge bed. They should then be brought out to flower sometime in January depending on the variety. Some are specially prepared to flower at Christmas. Hyacinthus can also be grown indoors in a special container using just water.

Hyacinths prepared for early flowering. These come in:
Pink e.g. Anne Marie
Red e.g. Amsterdam
White e.g. Carnegie
Blue e.g. Blue Star
Yellow e.g. City of Haarlem
Violet e.g. Splendid Cornelia

Ordinand Dutch Hyacinths. These come in:
Pink e.g. Lady Derby
Red e.g. Jan Bos
White e.g. White Pearl
Blue e.g. Sky Jacket
Lilac & Violet e.g. Soft Lilac
Orange e.g. Gipsy Queen
Yellow e.g. City of Haarlem

Double Ordinary Dutch Hyacinths. These come in white, red, violet and rose.