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Home Gardening Guide to Growing Hyacinths
Hyacinth is a flowering plant from the lily family. Hyacinths, also known as Dutch Bulbs are a native to Turkey. In 1500, the traders imported the hyacinths into Netherlands. From then onwards, hyacinths becomes adaptable to the soil and climate of the Netherlands. After a few decades, hyacinth was exported into the United States. The blossom colors of hyacinth are available in purple, blue, white and pink.
There are three species of hyacinth plant including h. litwinowii, h. orientalis and h. transcaspicus. Hyacinthus orientalisis the common dutch or garden hyacinth. The related hyacinth plant called Muscari is also known as baby breath. Muscari is a low growing plants with blue blossoms.
Muscari looks very similar to hyacinth and is cultivated in the same way. The dutch hyacinth is so famous during the eighteenth century that more until more than two thousand cultivars are developed in the Netherland. The hyacinth flowers are available in different shades of color including red, blue, white, violet and yellow. Single hyacinth tend to look nice in a flowering pot. The blue giant is the largest single hyacinth with sky blue flowers. Double hyacinth produce blossoms on several stems on the plant. Hollyhock is an example of double hyacinth. Multiflora hyacinth has several flower stalks with less formal arrangement of flowers.
The first step to planting hyacinth is buying the bulb. You can buy hyacinth bulb at the local nursery center. The hyacinth bulb must not be diseased or have soft spots. If the bulb has a foul smell, you should not use it. Hyacinths are usually planted in a group of twelve.
The best time to plant hyacinth is during the fall season. Hyacinth requires the cold climate for hibernation so that they can thrive in the spring. If you live in a warm region, you can fulfill its needs by putting the bulb in a fridge for 3 weeks.
Hyacinths plants can perform the best in zones 4 – 8. Some hyacinth varieties can survive in zone 3. The planting site of the hyacinth must be exposed to full sunlight throughout the day. The soil must be well drained to prevent water logging in the ground. Water logging can cause the root of hyacinth plant to rot so that it withered away. If you have clay soil, you can improve it by adding organic matter such as shredded leaves, manure and peats.
After that, you must dig a planting hole with a depth of 5 inches. You can add organic composts and peats into hole. Examples of materials that can be used as organic compost include manure, straw and hay. Horse manure should be avoided since they are rich in the seeds of weed plant. The hyacinth bulbs should be spaced at 6 inches apart. When planting, make sure the pointy end is face upwards.
In the following spring, the hyacinth seedlings will sprout new plants. If the bulb is not sprouting, you must put it in a refrigerator to force dormancy. To encourage new blossoms, you can perform deadheading on the old flowers.