234 THE FLOWER- GAR D EX. [CHAP. VIIL 



lias an exhibition of tulips of extraordinary bril- 

 liancy and beauty every May. 



Hyacinths are perhaps the most beautiful of 

 all flowers, and, when grown in a bed like tulips, 

 they are almost equally brilliant in effect. Mr. 

 Corsten, a Dutch florist residing at Shepherd's 

 Bush, had an exhibition of this kind some years 

 ago, and I have seldom seen anything more 

 striking. Under a tent nearly two hundred feet 

 long and thirty feet wide were two beds, each 

 about one hundred and fifty feet long, divided 

 by a walk covered with matting in the centre, 

 and surrounded by a similar walk, with seats at 

 each end of the tent. In these beds were above 

 three thousand hyacinths, the colours arranged 

 so as to form diagonal lines, and the whole pre- 

 senting a perfect blaze of beauty. Hyacinths 

 are as numerous in their named varieties as 

 tulips, but they are not divided into any distinct 

 tribes, except as regards their colours. The 

 principal distinctions are, the white, the pink, 

 and the blue ; but these admit of various modi- 

 fications, and there are some of a pale yellow, 

 or rather lemon colour, and some of so dark a 

 purple as to be almost black. 



The culture of the hyacinth somewhat resem- 

 bles that of the tulip ; but it is more difficult, 

 from the great length to which the roots of the 

 hyacinth descend perpendicularly, and the ne- 

 cessity which consequently exists for preparing 

 the ground for them to a very great depth. 

 There is also another peculiarity in hyacinth 

 culture which is rather difficult of attainment; 

 namely, that the roots require a greatdealof mois- 

 ture, though the bulbs should be kept quite dry. 



