We all know and love hyacinths. In early spring they appear in flowerbeds, fields and parks. Hyacinths are known for their beautiful purple, pink and white colours – and of course their wonderful scent. Just like daffodils, hyacinths have an origin story in Greek mythology. The hyacinth is named after the Spartan prince and demi-god Hyakinthos. The story goes that the sun god Apollo fell in love with Hyakinthos and wanted to impress him with his skill throwing the discus. But the discus struck Hyakinthos in the head and he tragically died. Apollo was so sad that he did not want Hyakinthos’ body to go to the underworld. So he created a beautiful flower from the boys blood. Each year, Sparta would hold a three day festival in honour of Hyakinthos. This festival was similar to Eatser, because on the second and third day Hyakinthos’ rebirth was celebrated. This makes the hyacinth even more symbolic as a spring flower.
Hyacinth Bulbs in Your Garden
Hyacinth bulbs are best planted in summer, from June to August, so that they can bloom in spring. This means that it is worthwhile to plant your hyacinth bulbs as early as possible so that they will bloom earlier and therefore longer. Plant your bulbs in a part of your garden that gets sun all day long and has well-drained soil. You can improve the soil by adding organic matter such as peat moss, compost or composted manure. Dig a trench that is about 20cm deep and place the hyacinth bulbs inside about 15cm apart and with the point facing upwards. Cover them with earth and water them immediately. During autumn and winter your hyacinth will continue to grow in preparation for spring. When planted correctly you will be rewarded with beautiful flowers.
While hyacinths do well in Dutch gardens, they are also very well-suited as indoor pot flowers. In both cases it is important that the soil you plant your hyacinths bulbs in is well drained. When planting in the garden this may mean adding in extra loose soil, such as peat, if the soil is particularly heavy. When planting in a pot, make sure that extra water has somewhere to go. Pots with drainage are best for hyacinths.
Hyacinths are often planted in clusters of three to five bulbs of the same type. These bulbs can be planted very close together, but not quite touching. When choosing a type of hyacinth, it is best to consider the location you wish to plant them. Hyacinth varieties with large clusters of flowers are best planted in a pot, as they will quickly fall over outside. Varieties with fewer or smaller flowers are less heavy and can be planted in the garden with no trouble.
Buying Hyacinths Online
Here at Fluwel.com we really love hyacinths. So you can imagine that it pains us that they are sometimes considered boring or old-fashioned. Hyacinths can add a lot to your garden, especially when you mix different colours. We even sell a mix with four different colours, so that you will not need to worry about picking out a combination yourself. But of course you can experiment with other combinations. After all it is your garden! We offer hyacinths in many different colours, so there will definitely be something that suits your garden. We are happy to give gardening advice, should you have any questions about buying hyacinth bulbs.
In addition to hyacinths, we also proud to offer a large selection of tulips, daffodils, amaryllises, muscari and many other beautiful bulb flowers. So make sure you look around the rest of our web shop too.