Rain flower - hyacinth: description, homeland of the plant and its photo. Hyacinth - fragrant spring bouquet Types and varieties of hyacinths
When the winter cold is outside and the ground is covered with snow, the room is decorated with pink, white, blue, yellow, violet, and scarlet colors by blooming hyacinths. This bulbous, fragrant plant can bloom at home at almost any time of the year. To achieve its flowering, you need to know the rules for forcing bulbs and the peculiarities of growing the plant. Caring for hyacinths is simple, so many gardeners grow these flowers on their windowsill.
Description and varieties of hyacinths with photos
The plant is a flower spadix, growing up to 30 cm in length. A dense bulb consists of lower leaves, which with their bases surround the bottom of the bulb. The thick and greatly shortened part of the stem is a continuation of the bottom. Hyacinth flowers have the shape of bells, the edges of which are very pointed. After flowering, the green leaves and stem dry out, and a bud begins to form inside the bulb, growing into an onion. In a young bulb, a stem with flowers that will bloom next year is initially laid in a compressed form.
The plant has about two thousand species, each of which is beautiful in its own way. Oriental hyacinth grows best at home.
Oriental hyacinth - the best varieties
A perennial bulbous plant with spherical or spherical bulbs grows up to 30 cm. Each bulb produces 5-8 bright green matte or shiny leaves. Fragrant flowers sit in the axils of the bracts on short stalks. They can be bell-shaped or campanulate-funnel-shaped. Oriental hyacinth blooms with simple or double flowers of yellow, pink, blue, purple, indigo or white. Plant varieties differ in terms of flowering time, size and color of inflorescences, and height of the peduncle.
Most Popular varieties for indoor cultivation:
- Hyacinth Ostara grows up to 25-30 cm and has a loose inflorescence, the length of which reaches 11-13 cm. For three weeks it blooms with bright violet-blue flowers with a diameter of 4 cm.
- The Amethyst variety is distinguished by pale purple dense inflorescences 9 cm long. The height of the plant itself reaches 25 cm. Each inflorescence consists of 18-20 flowers. Amethyst does not bloom for long - only seven or eight days.
- Hyacinth Rosalia grows up to 20 cm and blooms with pink flowers. On its narrow inflorescence of medium density there are about 10-15 flowers with a diameter of 2 cm. The flowering period of Rosalia is very short.
- The Sunflower variety is distinguished by creamy, heavily double flowers that grow on medium-density inflorescences 10 cm long. The diameter of each flower reaches 3.5 cm. The plant itself grows up to 19-20 cm. It blooms for no more than two weeks.
- Hyacinth La Victoire is very popular among gardeners for its dense inflorescences, blooming bright red flowers. Plant height – 20 cm.
After looking at photos of different types of hyacinths, you will definitely want to grow this flower at home.
Caring for hyacinth indoors
Caring for the plant is not difficult, but you must follow some rules.
Lighting
Hyacinth refers to light-loving plants. Therefore, in order for a hyacinth flower to bloom beautifully and for a long time at home, the plant requires good lighting. On cloudy days and in the evenings, especially in winter, the flower must be additionally illuminated with fluorescent lamps. Otherwise, the plant will shed young buds and leaves, or even wither. To ensure uniform growth of the plant, the flower pot must be periodically turned in different directions towards the light source.
Temperature
At home, hyacinth needs ensure the temperature is within 20-22C. The plant is contraindicated in drafts and sudden temperature changes. This could lead to his death. During the winter season, it is not recommended to place a flower pot next to heating appliances.
Support
Dense hyacinth inflorescences may bend due to the weight of the flowers. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to build a support next to the still unblown inflorescence.
Watering
Proper watering is the basis for caring for indoor hyacinths. The plant requires timely watering. You need to make sure that the soil in the pot is always slightly damp. This is especially important for the plant during wintering, growth and flowering.
Stagnation of water should not be allowed, since the bulbs may begin to rot, a fungal disease will develop, and the plant will die. Therefore, water pours out of the pan immediately after watering.
During watering, water should not get into the axils of the leaves, onto the bulb and buds. This can cause the plant to rot and develop a fungal disease. You need to pour water near the edge of the pot.
Top dressing
Twice a month hyacinths need to be fed. To do this, it is recommended to use special fertilizers for bulbous plants, which are sold in specialized stores.
Forcing hyacinths should begin with the selection of healthy planting material of the required size. The bulb must be at least 5 cm in diameter. It is almost impossible to grow a full-fledged plant from a small bulb. The bulb chosen for planting must be dense and free from mechanical damage and rotting areas.
Before planting the bulb in a pot, it must go through several stages:
- The faded and trimmed bulb is dug out of the pot and placed in a humid room with an air temperature of 22-25 degrees.
- After two weeks, the bulb should be moved to cooler conditions, where the temperature will be from 15 to 17 degrees.
Now the bulb can be planted in a pot. In order for the hyacinth flower to bloom by the New Year, forcing should begin in September.
Planting in a pot
A container for planting can be purchased at the store. It shouldn't be very deep. The bottom of the pot must have holes.
Drainage is placed at the bottom of the container, and then soil. The soil mixture for planting hyacinths should consist of compost, leaf and turf soil, with the addition of peat and sand.
The bulb is placed in a pot filled with soil, presses slightly into the ground and sprinkled with soil on top. Its top should remain above the surface of the earth. If several bulbs will be planted in one container at once, then they need to be placed closely. However, it is impossible for the planting material to swing against each other and the edges of the container.
Planted hyacinths are not immediately placed in a permanent place. First they need to create a period of rest, which will last about two months. To do this, the pot is placed in a cellar, another cool room or in a refrigerator with a temperature of 5-7 degrees. Caring for the bulbs at this time consists of rarely watering the soil, which should be kept moist all the time.
During this period, the bulbs will take root well, and the hyacinth will bloom at home.
The plant is transferred to a warm room after the bulbs throw out a pair of leaves. The pot is placed in a bright place with an air temperature of no more than 15 degrees.
Hyacinths are placed in a permanent place only after the inflorescences appear.
After the plant blooms, many do not know what to do with it next. In this case, everyone must choose for themselves. You can simply throw the plant away, or try to save and reproduce.
If you decide to keep the hyacinth bulb, then first of all you will need to trim off the faded flower stalks. Next, while the leaves are still green, the plant needs to continue to be watered. The bulbs gain strength after flowering. At the same time, daughter bulbs can grow on them.
When the leaves on the plant also dry out, the bulb will need to be removed from the pot, shake off the soil and leave it to dry for three days. If there are daughter bulbs, then they can be separated immediately after digging.
Faded bulbs for re-forcing They are usually not suitable for use at home. Therefore, in the fall they are planted in the garden, where next spring they will delight with their flowering.
Propagation of hyacinths
Hyacinths reproduce by daughter bulbs, of which no more than four can be formed per year. In order to immediately get a large number of children at home, experienced flower growers practice special techniques. They cut or cut out the bottom.
Such reproduction is carried out after a period of rest. First, the bulbs are treated in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate and dried at room temperature for three days. Only after this can you begin the reproduction procedure.
Notching the bottom
This method of reproduction takes place in several stages:
After about two to three years, the plant will throw out its first flower stalks.
Cutting the bottom
This method of propagation differs from the previous one only in that the bottom is not cut, but cut out. This is done using a teaspoon. Processing and storage are carried out in exactly the same way. However, as a result of daughter bulbs, albeit small ones, the result is from 20 to 40 pieces. Such onions ripen a little longer - within 3-4 years.
In order for a beautiful hyacinth flower to become an excellent addition to your interior, and you can admire its blooming, you need to choose a suitable place for it and organize proper care. With a little patience and a lot of desire, you can even propagate and grow hyacinths yourself at home.
Planting and caring for hyacinths
Many gardeners in early spring look forward to the flowering of their bulbous favorites - charming hyacinths. After a long and dull winter, spring hyacinths delight with their strength and beauty, warm the soul and lift the spirits.
Rain flower - this is how the name Hyacinthus is translated from Greek. Asia Minor and North Africa are considered the birthplace of the flower, but Holland has become the modern hyacinth paradise. Every year, the Dutch city of Haarlem sends millions of varietal bulbs of these colorful plants to all countries of the world.
general description
Hyacinth is a bulbous perennial flower belonging to the Asparagus family. The bulb of the plant is large and dense, the circle around its bottom is occupied by fleshy lower leaves. An adult plant produces 1 or 2 flowering stems that reach up to 30 cm in height.
The beautiful appearance of the flower lasts about 2 weeks. After flowering, a bud is formed on the bulb, which over time turns into a new bulb, which already produces a small inflorescence for the next year. In addition to this, other smaller bulbs are formed on the adult bulb, which can also be separated and grown to maturity.
After flowering, the hyacinth flower often produces fruits with three nests containing seeds. An adult bulb has a spherical or wide cone-shaped shape, some varieties are dotted with numerous scales.
The leaves grow upward and are fleshy and smooth. After the peduncle dies, the leaves lengthen and lie on the ground. Hyacinth flowers have a pleasant aroma; they are collected in racemose inflorescences, on which there are from 12 to 35 flowers.
Plant classification
Hyacinths have been grown in home gardens for over 400 years. The main classification includes 3 types of plants:
- eastern, the most popular and widespread type of plant. Almost all known decorative varieties of rain flowers are grown on its basis. These flower stalks come in white, pink, blue or yellow;
- Hyacinth Litvinov. It has wider leaves of a bluish tint, flowers of a predominantly blue color with large stamens;
- Transcaspian flower. Has 1 or 2 inflorescences with light blue flowers.
The above species are the basis for the selection of other subspecies and modifications of the plant.
Hyacinths also differ in the shape of the flowers themselves - there are simple and double flowers. According to the flowering period, plants are divided into early, middle and late species.
Based on the color of the flowers (photos of hyacinth are full of the brightest colors), white, blue, pink, raspberry, lemon, lilac and apricot inflorescences stand out. Blue, white and pink hyacinths are usually the first to produce inflorescences in the gardens of our region.
How to grow rain flowers correctly
Hyacinths prefer sunny and windless beds. It is advisable to choose surfaces that have a slight slope to allow spring water to drain. Prolonged retention of moisture in the place where flowers grow can destroy the planted bulbs.
To successfully grow plants, the soil must be permeable and fertilized with humus.
For successful cultivation and abundant flowering, soil drainage plays an important role.
Planting hyacinths
It is best to prepare the selected area for planting bulbs in early or mid-August, a couple of months before planting. The soil should be dug to a depth of 30-40 cm. Humus, peat or mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate, calcium sulfate or magnesium are added to the soil as fertilizer.
Hyacinths also respond well to the addition of wood ash or dolomite flour. The bulbs must be planted in well-moistened soil in late September or early October. Early planting of hyacinth can lead to premature growth of the plant and its death during frosts.
With the onset of persistently cold days, the bed with planted bulbs should be covered with fallen leaves. In the spring, with the onset of warm days, the shelter is carefully removed from the garden bed. Green sprouts of hyacinths will already be visible under it.
Hyacinths love to be planted in a hole with river sand. Experienced gardeners pour a little sand into the prepared holes, lightly press the hyacinth bulb into the sand, add a little more sand on top, and then add soil.
This operation should definitely be done to reduce the risk of rotting of the bottom of the bulb, improve soil drainage and protect the flower from possible infection.
Also, before planting, planting material should be treated with a manganese solution.
Flower care
Hyacinths prefer weed-free and loosened soil. In spring and summer, flowers need feeding.
In early spring, when the leaves begin to grow, a little superphosphate should be added to the soil; at the budding stage and at the end of flowering, superphosphate should be added along with potassium sulfate. Also, mandatory hyacinth care includes mandatory watering of the plant, which can be reduced after the flowering stage.
Harvesting and storing bulbs
The best time to dig up bulbs is the end of June or the beginning of July. You should look at the leaves of the plant: if they turn yellow and lie on the soil, it’s time to take a shovel and remove the bulbs from the ground. It is best to dig up Dutch hyacinth bulbs annually, otherwise in the second year of being in the ground without replanting, they may deteriorate their flowering.
Carefully dig up the bulb, rinse it in running water and dry it in the sun. If there are children on it, it is better to separate them from the adult bulb before planting in the autumn. Small children should not be separated from the mother's bulb.
It is best to store planting material in unclosed paper bags in a dry and warm place. It is convenient to attach labels with the name and color of the variety to the bags.
Possible diseases and pests
If you grow hyacinth outdoors in a sunny place, the plants practically do not suffer from potential diseases and pests. Flowers most often get sick in greenhouses or during improper forcing.
Hyacinths in open beds may feel bad only in the following cases:
- if infected planting bulbs have already been purchased;
- in the prepared bed in the spring there was a long stagnation of melt water;
- diseases could be caused by fresh manure or an excess of other fertilizers;
- thickened planting also contributes to the spread of infection on the bulbs;
- the planting material was not pickled in manganese before planting.
A sick plant is stunted in growth, its flower stalks are bent, the foliage quickly turns yellow and withers. Most often, the flower is affected by yellow bacterial rot, which quickly turns the bulb into a rotten, fetid mass. The affected bulbs must be burned, and the soil where the diseased bulb was located must be treated with bleach.
Mole crickets, onion root mites and flower flies are the main enemies of hyacinths. The larvae of flower flies infect the bottom of the bulb, and the mole cricket and mite destroy the bulb as a whole. To combat them, special drugs should be used.
If you follow all the simple rules and care techniques, these wonderful flowers will decorate spring gardens and summer cottages for many years to come. Hyacinths not only have an incomparable appearance, but also a magical aroma. Growing hyacinths is not a very painstaking and difficult task, as it might seem at first. But spring gardens, decorated with hyacinths, will sparkle with new colors and give gardeners a wonderful mood and bright emotions!
Photo of hyacinth
Family: hyacinths (Hyacinthaceae).
Motherland
In nature, hyacinth is common in the Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia and North Africa.
Form: perennial bulbous plant.
Description
Hyacinth is a perennial bulbous plant. At the moment, there are two points of view on the taxonomy of the genus. Some scientists identify types of hyacinths (about 30), others consider the genus to be monotypic - with one species (eastern hyacinth, Hyacinthus orientalis), with many bred varieties and forms.
Oriental hyacinth (H. orientalis). Plant up to 30 cm tall. Oriental hyacinth bulbs are spherical or wide cone-shaped, forming numerous covering scales. The leaves of the eastern hyacinth are long, belt-shaped, smooth, lush green, shiny or matte. The flowers of the oriental hyacinth are fragrant, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped, located on short pedicels in the axils of small bracts; come in white, blue, pink, purple, yellow; simple or terry. The flowers are collected in racemes of 15-25 flowers. Eastern hyacinth blooms in early May for a half-month. Blooming hyacinths have a strong aroma. The smell of hyacinth is both strong and delicate, it is difficult to confuse it with any other. In the wild, the plants are found in Dalmatia, Greece and Asia Minor.
Growing conditions
Hyacinths are flowers that are planted in well-lit areas, protected from winds and not flooded by spring waters. In general, hyacinth is a heat-loving plant. Plants prefer fertile, good soil. Flooding of hyacinths can lead to plant diseases. The soil for hyacinths is prepared in advance, dug deep and fertilized. In central Russia, hyacinths are planted in late September and early October.
Application
Hyacinth in the garden is planted in groups, in various mixed varieties. The plants are good for cutting and last a long time in water. Hyacinths are also possible.
Care
Hyacinth needs to be loosened and weeded. Plants need watering during dry periods, during the flowering period and for two weeks after it. The basis for success in growing hyacinths is comprehensive pre-planting of the soil. The bulbs are planted in a high bed 1.2 m wide, protected on the sides by old boards, in early October. A mixture of granulated chicken manure and superphosphate is scattered at the bottom of each furrow, then sand, a handful of ash and again a small layer of sand. Caring for hyacinths consists mainly of fertilizing (at the beginning of the growing season and after the buds appear). Nitrogen mineral fertilizers are applied in early spring.
It is recommended to dig up hyacinth bulbs for the summer. This should be done at the end of June-beginning of July. The dug up hyacinth bulbs need to be inspected for diseases, the babies should be separated, the bulbs should be treated to prevent diseases, and the diseased ones should be removed. Storing hyacinth bulbs is a very important period, since at this time the formation of inflorescences occurs. It is recommended to store at a temperature of +25... +35 degrees and good ventilation.
You don’t have to dig up the bulbs, but in this case the hyacinths will not be guaranteed to bloom next year. For hyacinths to form an inflorescence, the sum of temperatures is important. If the first half of summer was cold, flowering weakens.
The best time for planting hyacinths in central Russia is the end of September - beginning of October. If the weather is dry at the time of planting, then abundant watering of the planted bulbs is necessary, which reduces the soil temperature and speeds up the rooting process.
You will learn how to care for hyacinth from the corresponding one.
Reproduction
Hyacinth is propagated both by seeds and vegetatively - by bulbs, children, bulb scales. The seed method is used when breeding new varieties. But this is a very long process - 6-8 years before flowering begins. Hyacinth seeds are sown in boxes at the end of September and grown in cold greenhouses for the first two years.
During vegetative propagation of hyacinths, all the characteristics of the mother plant are preserved. The natural division of hyacinth bulbs and the formation of children begins late - at 5-6 years. The babies are laid in the axils of the scales on the bottom during the end of the growing season. The baby lives in the mother's bulb for 1-2 years, then, as the scales die off, it comes to the surface of the bulb. It is better not to separate small baby bulbs from the mother bulb, but to plant them together with it, since when the baby is separated, the bottom may remain on the mother bulb. Without the bottom, the baby cannot form roots. This method of breeding hyacinths is very long.
The method of propagation by bulbous scales is based on the plant’s ability to regenerate. When the scales are separated, mechanical damage to the tissue causes rapid cell division of meristematic tissues, resulting in the formation of callus. After differentiation and development of the epidermis, new bulbs are formed. The best results are obtained when using bulbs with a diameter of 4.0-4.9 cm. Healthy, clean bulbs are divided into 4 parts with two perpendicular cuts. After this, individual scales are broken off from the bottom, placed in gauze bags and immersed for 20 minutes in a suspension of a fungicide, for example, 0.2% topsin-M, and discussed to remove excess moisture. Instead of pickling, individual scales can be treated with charcoal powder or aloe juice. Next, the scales are placed in plastic bags with a substrate: peat, gravel, moss, perlite, tied tightly and kept in diffused light for 6 weeks at a temperature of +20...+25 degrees and another 6 weeks at a temperature of +17...+20 degrees. During this time, one or more babies are formed at the base of the scales. After such preparation, the bulbs are separated and transplanted into boxes - into moistened gravel sprinkled on a layer of soil. To retain moisture, the substrate is sprinkled with sphagnum moss on top and covered with plastic film. The boxes are stored in the basement at a temperature of +1...+5 degrees for about three months. 
This procedure can be simplified. To do this, immediately after separation and pickling, the scales are placed in boxes that are kept at the same temperature.
In the basement, after about 12 weeks, the hyacinths in the boxes begin to vegetate. When thin, pale leaves appear, the film must be removed and the boxes moved to a bright room. At the beginning of May, the boxes are transferred to open ground, where they are kept until the end of the growing season. Then the bulbs are dug up and stored until September, not allowing them to dry out.
The best time for reproduction by scales is July-August.
You can buy hyacinth at the garden center. You can also order hyacinths by mail.
Diseases and pests
In open ground, with proper agricultural technology, hyacinth is a flower that is usually not susceptible to disease and is not affected by pests. Diseases of hyacinths occur if diseased planting material was purchased, with an excess of mineral fertilizers or thickening of plantings. Of the possible diseases of hyacinths, the most common is yellow bacterial rot: plant bulbs turn into mucus with a sharp, unpleasant odor. The plants themselves lag behind in development, spots appear on the peduncle and leaves. In order to avoid hyacinth diseases, you need to take preventive measures, treat the bulbs, carefully inspect them when digging, and carefully monitor the quality of the planting material.
Popular varieties
Oriental hyacinth varieties
'Amethyst'. The variety is up to 20-25 cm high. The inflorescences are wide, cylindrical, dense. The flowers are light purple. Hyacinth ‘Ametist’ blooms in late April-early May.
'Ann Marie'. The variety is 20-25 cm high. The inflorescences are loose, cylindrical; the flowers are light pink. The plant blooms from mid-April.
‘Arentine Arendsen’. A plant up to 25-30 cm high with large cylindrical inflorescences and white flowers. White hyacinth ‘Arentine Arendsen’ blooms in mid-April.
'Bismark'. The height of the variety is 25-30 cm. The inflorescences of hyacinth ‘Bismark’ are large, cylindrical, of medium density. The flowers are light purple. Plants bloom in mid-April.
'Borah'. The variety is 15-20 cm high. The inflorescences are loose, the flowers are light blue, with a lilac tint. The perianth lobes of hyacinth ‘Borah’ are strongly bent back. Plants bloom from mid-April.
‘City of Haarlem’. Height up to 30 cm. Flowers are white with a creamy-yellow tint. The flower raceme consists of 30-40 flowers. Blooms in the first half of May.
‘Chestnut Flower’. Plant height is from 18 to 25 cm. The flowers of the plants are double, light pink, collected in loose inflorescences. The perianth lobes of the ‘Chestnut Flower’ variety are strongly twisted. Plants bloom from the end of April.
'Cyclop'. The variety is 20-23 cm high. The flowers are carmine-red, collected in dense inflorescences. Red hyacinth ‘Cyclop’ blooms from mid-April.
'Delft Blue'. Plant height is 20-25 cm. The inflorescences are wide, dense, with large blue flowers. Blue hyacinth 'Delft Blue' reaches a height of 20-23 cm. Flowering hyacinth 'Delft Blue' begins in mid-April.
'Delight'. Plants up to 20 cm high with dense wide inflorescences. Pink flowers bloom in mid-April.
'Edelweiss'. Hyacinth 20-25 cm high. White flowers are collected in wide dense inflorescences. Plants bloom from mid-April.
'Edison'. Plant height is 20-23 cm. The flowers are double, pink, collected in loose inflorescences; bloom at the end of April.
‘General de Wet’. The variety is 20-25 cm high. Inflorescences are of medium density. The flowers of the variety are white with a pink tint; The perianth lobes are strongly twisted. Plants bloom from mid-April.
‘Grand Blanche’. Plants are 25-30 cm high. The inflorescences are cylindrical, of medium density. The flowers are white with a pinkish or cream tint. Flowering of hyacinth ‘Grand Blanche’ begins in mid-April.
'Grand Lilac'. The height of the variety is up to 35 cm. The inflorescences are large, of medium density; blue flowers. Blue hyacinth ‘Grand Lilac’ blooms at the end of April.
'Grand Maitre'. Plant height is up to 30 cm. The inflorescences are loose. The color of the flowers is light purple with a blue tint. The perianth lobes of hyacinth ‘Grand Maitre’ are narrow and strongly twisted. The variety blooms from the end of April.
‘Grootvorst’. Variety up to 30 cm high with double flowers. Inflorescences are loose; lilac flowers.
'Indigo King'. The height of the variety is up to 25 cm. The inflorescences are loose. The flowers of the ‘Indigo King’ variety have a rich blue-purple, “inky” color.
'Jan Bos'. A variety 20-25 cm high with dark crimson flowers. The inflorescences are dense. Hyacinth ‘Jan Bos’ blooms at the end of April.
'King of the Blues'. The height of the variety is 20 cm. The inflorescences are large and of medium density. The flowers are a rich, violet-blue color and bloom in late April.
'La Victoire'. Plant height is 17-20 cm. The inflorescences of the ‘La Victoire’ variety are compact, the flowers are raspberry-red in color. Hyacinth of this variety blooms at the end of April.
'Lord Balfour'. Plants up to 25 cm high with loose inflorescences. The flowers are purple-violet and bloom in mid-April.
'Marie'. The height of this variety is 25-30 cm. The inflorescences are compact with deep purple flowers. Hyacinth ‘Marie’ blooms at the end of April.
'Marconi'. Plants up to 20-25 cm high. Inflorescences of medium density; The flowers are pink with a slight reddish tint. The pink hyacinth variety ‘Marconi’ blooms in May.
'Menelike'. Plant height - 25-30 cm. Inflorescences are compact; The flowers are deep purple, almost black. The variety blooms at the end of April.
‘Ostara’. The variety is 25-30 cm high with loose inflorescences. The flowers have a bright violet-blue color. Plants bloom in April.
'Prince Arthur'. The height of the variety is 25-30 cm with double flowers and inflorescences of medium density. Plants bloom from the end of April.
‘Rosalia’. Plants up to 20 cm high. Inflorescences of medium density are narrow, cylindrical. Bright pink flowers bloom in late April.
'Snow Crystal'. Winner of many exhibitions. The flowers are white, double. The inflorescence is powerful, tall (up to 25 cm). Blooms in April-May.
'Sunflower'. The height of the variety is from 20 to 30 cm. The flowers are heavily double, cream-colored with a pink tint; collected in narrow, dense, cylindrical inflorescences. Plants bloom at the end of April.
'Yellow Hammer'. Yellow hyacinth 25-30 cm high with dense inflorescences. The flowers are light yellow and bloom at the end of April.
Spring hyacinth looks and blooms amazingly, perfect for growing indoors and for decorating a landscape area. The main thing is to study the description of the conditions that need to be provided to him.
The home flower hyacinth is one of the favorites among gardeners. This plant blooms in early spring and pleases not only with its bright and beautiful petals, but also with its stunning fragrance. People far from gardening also know what hyacinth is. However, their knowledge often ends with the information that this is a flower that blooms in the first days of spring, and its small buds exude stunning fragrances. Meanwhile, the history of the origin of the plant is very interesting, and this flower has been grown for centuries.
The Mediterranean is considered the homeland of hyacinths - it was from here that they were brought to Europe back in the 18th century. However, people admired porcelain buds in ancient times. It is no coincidence that this spring plant received another common name - “rain flower”. Many legends are associated with it. For example, the Greeks revere it and call it the flower of sadness. The thing is that this was the name of the son of the Spartan king.
Legend has it that the young man was so handsome that he outshone the gods of Olympus with his appearance. He even had his own patrons: Apollo, the god of wine, and Zephyr, the god of the south wind. They often came down to him from heaven to spend time together and hunt. One fine day, Apollo and Hyacinth decided to organize a sports competition. They started throwing discs.
But they were unable to determine the winner: the Spartan king was in no way inferior to God. When Hyacinth launched the bronze disk again, Zephyr, fearing his friend’s defeat, blew so hard on the projectile that it changed direction and landed straight in the Spartan’s face. Apollo was greatly saddened by the death of the beautiful young man, so he turned drops of his blood into a plant of stunning beauty. Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the cult of hyacinth was created. This flower has long been considered a symbol of nature dying and being reborn to life.
These plants belong to the Asparagaceae family. However, over time, certain varieties of this category were discovered by breeders in the vast expanses of Asia. Interestingly, a plant called hyacinth can be found almost all over the world. This flower with fragrant buds grows regardless of climatic conditions. Even in cold regions it blooms in due time. However, wild representatives of the species are incomparable in their beauty to those grown by flower growers. They have rather small petals.
The fragrant perennial hyacinth also grows in our country. Among the most notable varieties are the Mouse Hyacinth or the Muscari variety. This plant develops a tall stem, but its inflorescences are small and not too bright. Another key property: spring garden hyacinth can be safely cultivated in a personal plot. Regardless of what area you live in, root any plant varieties that you like in open ground.
However, as for indoor ones, it is recommended to select them with much greater care. In most cases, hyacinths are planted in flower pots and placed on window sills in apartments or private houses solely for forcing. If you carefully prepare the bulbs of decorative hyacinths for planting, and then create an optimal microclimate for them, they will soon begin to grow actively, and with the onset of spring you will receive full-fledged flowers with open buds, which can be cut as a gift or transplanted into open ground.
Video “Hyacinth flowers”
From this video you will learn how to properly care for hyacinths.
Appearance of the plant
An annual flower called hyacinth is still loved by many gardeners. Even having rooted several of these miniature specimens in your garden plot, you will not be able to miss their flowering, it is so bright. To clearly understand what hyacinth is, remember first of all the fact that this category includes the three most common species, which are mostly grown in the Mediterranean.
These include the following:
- Oriental hyacinth. The most popular decorative varieties originate from this group. They are cultivated almost throughout Europe, as well as in Asia. A special feature of the plant is the presence of a thin peduncle. At the same time, its flowers are not too densely arranged. There are many colors;
- Hyacinth Litvinov. This plant is considered a perennial, but it is cultivated as an annual. Wild representatives of the category grow mainly in Iran and Turkmenistan. This includes both short and tall plants. The petals usually have a blue, purple or greenish tint;
- Transcaspian hyacinth. This flower is distinguished by the fact that it forms two peduncles at once, and the buds have a light blue tint.
Garden or indoor hyacinth will be an excellent decoration for both your garden plot and the windowsill in your apartment. Its flowers are bell-shaped and their edges are pointed. The plant itself consists of a cob and lower leaves. It usually reaches no more than 30 cm in height.
Time and duration of flowering
When hyacinths bloom is another question that the gardener should clarify before buying bulbs in specialized stores or on the market. Of course, the beauty of their blooming buds is short-lived, since their growing season is always very short. They bloom at the very beginning of spring, and the flowering phase lasts from a week to 25 days. The duration of this period is sometimes influenced by climatic conditions.
Hyacinths are often used in landscape design: with their help you can form and decorate any flower bed in your garden.
Their aroma is harmless, does not cause allergies, and there is no need to worry about it. But if you have pets in your home, you should keep hyacinths away from them, because the bulbs and juice can be poisonous if eaten. A plant called hyacinth is a spring beauty that will certainly become the highlight of your garden plot. Be careful when selecting varieties, and already in the first days of spring you will enjoy the blooming of these flowers.
As you know, this flower is one of the first to bloom in the garden at the beginning of the season and delights gardeners with bright and unusually fragrant flowers. Hyacinths are striking in their wide range of colors: from white and pale yellow through different shades of pink and purple to burgundy, purple and even black. Hyacinth ( Hyacinthus) is a universal plant that is suitable for open ground, for early forcing indoors, and also for cutting. This article is about the features of growing hyacinths.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © Anastasia
Botanical description of the plant
The hyacinth bulb is dense, consisting of fleshy lower leaves, with their bases occupying the entire circumference of the bottom of the bulb. The flowering stem is a direct continuation of the bottom, which is nothing more than the lower, greatly shortened and thick part of the stem.
After the hyacinth blooms, the green flowering stem, together with the green leaves sitting at the very bottom, dries out, but in the corner of the uppermost green leaf, a bud is formed on the stem, inside the bulb, which gradually grows and turns into a young bulb that blooms on next year. This young hyacinth bulb in the fall already contains, of course, in the most compressed form, a stem with flowers for next year.
In addition to this young bulb, other weaker bulbs, so-called children, are often formed in the corners of the remaining green leaves, which can be separated. In three years they can bloom.
Hyacinth flowers are collected at the top of the stem in the form of a brush. Their perianth, in the form of a bell-shaped funnel, is brightly colored and has bent lobes.
The fruit is in the form of a leathery capsule with three nests containing two seeds with a fragile peel.
Choosing a place for hyacinths in the garden
The place for hyacinths should be well lit and protected from strong winds. Some gardeners recommend planting them, like other bulbous plants, next to shrubs and trees. This advice is unlikely to be good. Yes, there is plenty of sun there in spring, but the roots of trees and shrubs absorb nutrients from the soil to the detriment of hyacinths.
The site for hyacinths is preferably flat, preferably with a slight slope, ensuring water drainage during the spring melting of snow and during heavy rains. Prolonged flooding leads to widespread diseases and death of bulbs. Groundwater should lie no closer than 50-60 cm. If its level is high, drainage is done or embankment ridges are arranged.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © Eszter Sara Kospal Soil for hyacinths
Hyacinths need permeable, well-fertilized soils with a high content of humus, but fresh and slightly decomposed manure is unacceptable. River sand and peat are added to clayey, dense soil. It is also undesirable to grow hyacinths in acidic soils. Acidic soils must be limed using chalk or limestone to a pH of at least 6.5.
Planting hyacinths
Experts advise preparing the site for planting hyacinths in August, two months before planting the bulbs, otherwise natural settlement of the soil may cause the roots to break off, which will begin to develop in the fall.
The soil must be deeply cultivated, to a depth of 40 cm. Humus or rotted manure is added for digging at the rate of 10-15 kg per 1 m2, sand, peat and mineral fertilizers: per 1 m2 60-80 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate and 15 g magnesium sulfate.
Potassium sulfate can be replaced with 200 g of wood ash, and magnesium sulfate with 250 g of dolomite flour. On sandy soils, the dose of potassium and magnesium fertilizers should be increased by 1.5 times. As for nitrogen fertilizers, it is best to apply them in the spring and summer in the form of fertilizing.
In the conditions of central Russia, hyacinth bulbs are planted in late September - early October. If planted too early, hyacinths may begin to grow and die in winter, and if planted too late, they will not have time to take root before the soil freezes to the planting depth.
When planting hyacinths, D. G. Hession recommends, in addition to observing the depth and density of planting, to remember two things: firstly, to choose for planting not the largest bulbs that are intended for forcing, but medium-sized bulbs, the so-called “flower beds”, producing flower stalks that are more weather-resistant; secondly, when planting, it is necessary to add well-rotted compost or peat to the holes, if it was not added during preliminary digging of the soil.
However, hyacinths can be planted until the first half of November. But then the place should be insulated in advance with leaves or other material from what is at hand, and protected with film from rain and snow. And after planting, re-install the insulation.
The feeding area of hyacinth bulbs is 15x20 cm. The planting depth from the bottom of the bulbs is 15-18 cm for collapsible, large bulbs, about 5 cm in diameter. Small bulbs and children are planted thicker and not so deep.
For hyacinths, as for all bulbous plants, planting in a “sandy shirt” is highly desirable.
The technology does not change: clean river sand is poured into the bottom of the groove or hole in a layer of 3-5 cm. The bulb is lightly pressed into it, then covered with sand, and then with soil. This technique will prevent rotting of the bottoms of the bulbs, protect against infection in the soil, and improve drainage. If the soil is dry, the plantings need to be watered to improve rooting of the bulbs.
Eastern hyacinth “Atlantic” (Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Atlantic’). © Villu Lükk 
Eastern hyacinth “Red Magic” (Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Red Magic’). © Villu Lükk 
Oriental hyacinth “Carnegie” (Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Carnegie’). © Villu Lükk
If there are a lot of hyacinths, they are planted on ridges 15-20 cm high to protect the bulbs from melt water. In spring, the ridges warm up quickly and have good aeration in the top layer. In addition, it is easy to install film cover on the ridges. Plant in rows at a distance of 20-25 cm, leaving at least 3 bulb diameters between adjacent bulbs in a row (for adult bulbs - 12-15 cm).
With the onset of persistent cold weather, it is advisable to think about covering hyacinth plantings. To do this, you can use mulching materials such as dry peat, humus, sawdust, as well as dry fallen leaves and spruce branches, and in the spring, as soon as the soil begins to thaw, the cover must be carefully removed, since hyacinth sprouts appear very early.
Hyacinth care
Hyacinths are a demanding crop. The soil around the plantings must be kept clean, loosened several times during the season, and in dry times it must be watered (water should wet the earthen ball to a depth of 15-20 cm). During the growing season, plants should be fed 2-3 times. An important preventive measure is the removal of diseased plants from the site (culling is carried out 2-3 times). The peduncle must be cut with a sharp knife; If the inflorescence is not cut off, then at the end of flowering it is necessary to tear off the flowers, leaving the peduncle.
Fertilizers for hyacinths can be applied dry or dissolved in water. In the latter case, slightly less fertilizer is used, and the soil is well moistened before applying fertilizer. The first fertilizing should be given at the beginning of plant growth (20-25 g of saltpeter and 15-20 g of superphosphate per square meter of planting). 2nd - during the budding period (30-35 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium sulfate). 3rd - at the end of flowering (30-35 g of superphosphate and 30-35 g of potassium sulfate). Hyacinths can be fed with microfertilizers (apply them in the same quantities as for tulips). After applying fertilizers, the soil is loosened, covering the fertilizers with a hoe.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © Choo Yut Shing Hyacinths after flowering
If Dutch hyacinth bulbs are left in open ground after flowering, they will bloom worse in the second year. Therefore, it is better to wait until the hyacinth leaves turn yellow and dig up the bulbs.
The famous Russian florist A. Razin noted that the end of June and the beginning of July is the best time for digging up hyacinths. Despite the troubles, the florist believed that one of the conditions for successfully growing hyacinths was the annual digging of the bulbs. It allows you to inspect the bulbs, separate the children for growing, treat the bulbs to prevent diseases and protect them from pests, and destroy diseased specimens. A. Razin dug up the bulbs, washed them with clean water, and then dried them under a canopy in the shade. The florist put the bulbs dug up, dried and cleared of leaves and roots for storage.
Storing hyacinth bulbs
Storing dug up bulbs is the most critical period. It is at this time that the process of inflorescence formation occurs in the bulb. Its different stages require different temperatures in a certain duration and sequence. Dug up hyacinths are more demanding of heat than tulips or daffodils.
Immediately after digging, the hyacinth bulbs are dried for 5-7 days at 20°C in a dark, ventilated room, cleaned of soil and root debris, then sorted by size and placed in boxes in no more than 2 layers. Small children are not separated.
If there are only a few bulbs, it is convenient to store them in paper bags with labels. Further storage of large flowering hyacinth bulbs is recommended to be carried out in 2 stages: the first - at elevated temperatures, the second - pre-planting.
At the first stage, hyacinth bulbs are kept for at least 2 months at 25..26°C, and at the second stage - 1 month at 17°C. The air humidity in the room should not be too low, otherwise the bulbs will dry out. If you want to shorten the first stage by a week, then in the first week of the first stage, raise the temperature to 30°C (the room should be well ventilated).
It is easy to calculate that the total duration of the preparatory period is at least 95 days. Plus, before planting, it is useful to keep hyacinth bulbs in a cold room at temperatures close to outside. So it turns out that in order to plant the bulbs in the ground in the first ten days of October, you need to dig them up later than the beginning of July. Late digging and storage of bulbs at too low temperatures are the main reasons for further poor flowering of hyacinths.
Often during storage, hyacinth bulbs form numerous small babies around the bottom. They break off easily, and therefore bulbs with children should be planted in the ground especially carefully. In this case, the planting depth must be halved and the planted bulbs must be covered with a layer of mulch, increasing it compared to conventional cover. Such children grow up to be 4-5 years old. It is very simple to cause their formation: immediately after digging, firmly wipe the bottom of the bulb with a dry cloth, removing the roots.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © Carl Lewis Propagation of hyacinths
When breeding new varieties of hyacinths, the seed method is used. Seedlings do not repeat the external characteristics of the parent plants. They bloom only after 5-7 years. Seeds are sown in the fall, at the end of September, in boxes with soil made up of humus, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1, and grown for the first 2 years in cold greenhouses.
Natural reproduction of hyacinths occurs slowly. Over the course of a year, an adult bulb, depending on the variety, forms 1-2 children, rarely 3 or 4, and even more rarely their number can reach 5-8.
If the hyacinth babies are well separated from the mother bulb, they are grown separately. If the children separate poorly, do not break off the daughter bulbs and plant the mother bulb with the children.
In industrial floriculture, hyacinths are not propagated by natural division, but are practiced artificially. To quickly obtain a large number of bulbs, they resort to special methods of forced reproduction of hyacinths.
Since the scale-like leaves of membranous bulbs are very large, cover almost the entire bulb and are not as easily separated from the base as the scales of imbricated bulbs, until new plants are formed, the cut scale-like leaves of membranous bulbs should be left unseparated from the bottom.
This principle is used in two methods of propagation by preparing the bulbs: cutting and cutting the bottom. True, in this case the bulbs are first injured and then slowly die.
Hyacinth bulbs intended for artificial propagation must undergo pre-treatment: they are disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, and then dried for at least 2 days at a temperature of +20..+23 ºС.
F. McMillan Brose in his book “Plant Reproduction” describes in detail both methods of forced propagation of hyacinths.
A hyacinth bulb with babies formed at the bottom. © salchuiwt Cutting out the bottoms of hyacinth bulbs
This operation is carried out at the end of the dormant period of the bulbs. To successfully cut the bottom with minimal damage to the onion, you should select a tool. It is best to use a teaspoon with a sharp edge to cut out the bottom. Leave the rest of the hyacinth bulb intact and then check to see if all the scale-like leaves have had their bases removed. This can also be done with a knife, but it can easily damage the center of the onion.
To reduce the likelihood of diseases, the cut surfaces of scale-like leaves are treated with a fungicide. The bulbs are placed in boxes in an inverted position with the cut side up. They can also be stored on a wire mesh or tray of dry sand.
To cause the formation of callus at the base of the scales and delay the possible spread of diseases, the bulbs are kept at a temperature not lower than +21°C. After about two to three months, young bulbs form on the cut scales. One hyacinth bulb can produce 20-40 babies.
The mother bulb is planted in the same inverted position in a pot so that the children are slightly covered with the substrate. The plants are hardened off and then kept in a cold greenhouse. In the spring, the bulbs will begin to grow and form leaves, and the old bulb will gradually collapse. At the end of the growing season, young bulbs are dug up, separated and planted for growing. Young plants can bloom in 3-4 years.
Cutting the bottom of hyacinth bulbs
Hyacinths can be propagated faster if you use a method similar to the previous one. The only difference is that instead of cutting out the bottom, only a few cuts up to 0.6 cm deep are made on the bottom of the bulb.
On a large hyacinth bulb, usually make 4 cuts at right angles to each other (two intersecting cross-shaped ones), and on smaller ones it is enough to make 2 cuts. In this case, the number of bulbs formed decreases, but they are larger.
Hyacinth bulbs are pre-disinfected in the same way as when cutting out the bottom. The cut bulbs are placed for a day in a dry, warm place (+21°C): under these conditions the cuts open better. When the cuts open, they are treated with a fungicide.
Subsequent operations and storage conditions for the bulbs are the same as in the previous method. As a result, 8-15 bulbs are formed, which will take 2-3 years to grow. Cutting and slicing the bottom is used not only for propagating hyacinths. These methods are also used when growing daffodils, snowdrops, muscari, blueberries, and white flowers.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © el islandes
Diseases and pests of hyacinths
In open ground in the middle zone, hyacinths almost do not suffer from diseases and pests. More dangers await them in greenhouses and during forcing. If hyacinths do get sick in a flower garden, this is most often caused by:
- Purchasing already contaminated material;
- Planting on heavy, acidic, waterlogged soil;
- Using fresh manure or excess mineral fertilizers;
- Planting after unfavorable predecessors (other bulbous, as well as root crops);
- The bulbs were not rejected during the growing season, after digging, during storage and before planting;
- They forgot about prevention (treating the bulbs, and during forcing, the soil);
- The plantings were thickened.
When attacked by pests, hyacinths are stunted in growth, their flower stalks are bent, and early yellowing and wilting occur. For prevention, before planting, the bulbs are pickled in one of the phosphorus-containing preparations for 15-20 minutes. Sick hyacinths are dug up and destroyed, and the rest are also treated with phosphorus-containing preparations.
The most common disease is yellow bacterial rot. With it, the bulb tissue turns into mucus with a pungent unpleasant odor. During the growing season, the disease can be detected by stunted growth, the appearance of stripes and spots on the peduncle and leaves, and their rotting. The bulbs show obvious signs of damage. In all cases, diseased plants and bulbs are destroyed (it is best to burn them). The hole is etched with 5% formalin or bleach, where hyacinths can be returned only after a few years.
In hyacinths, the phenomenon of inflorescence loss is often encountered: the inflorescence, as soon as it appears above the ground, falls out of the rosette of leaves. This phenomenon is not associated with plant disease, but is explained by physiological reasons - increased root pressure. It is caused by excess moisture in the soil, storage of bulbs at insufficiently high temperatures and early planting of bulbs.
Types of hyacinths
There are different views on the taxonomy of the genus. According to some researchers, it has up to 30 species, others consider it monotypic, i.e. with one species, but which has a large number of varieties and forms. Hyacinth grows wild in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus). © Pascal Kestemont I’ll add a beautiful legend on my own that is associated with the name of the flower. It comes from the name of the hero of Greek mythology - a beautiful young man named Hyakynthos (or Hyakinthos from Amycles), with whom the sun god Apollo was in love.
One day, during a discus throwing practice, Zephyr, the god of the West Wind, who was also in love with Hyakynthos, was overcome by jealousy and mortally wounded the young man. At the site of the shed blood of Hyakinthos, a charming flower grew, which Apollo named in honor of his dead loved one.
