1616 



HYACINTHUS 



HYACINTHUS 



(Figs. 1927, 1928) belongs to the group represented 

 by var. albulus, Baker (H. dlbulus, Jord.) and var. 

 preecox, Voss (H. pr^cox, Jord.). These are slender 

 plants with narrow erect Ivs., fls. fewer and earlier, 

 white to blush to blue, the tube more slender. Var. 

 prxcox differs from var. albulus in its yellow anthers, 

 rather more ventricose tube and 

 stouter growth. 



amethystinus, Linn. Slender 

 and graceful, with light blue fls. 

 in short racemes, standing nearly 

 or quite 6 in. high: fls. small, nod- 

 ding, bell-shaped, with short teeth- 

 like segms. There is a white-fid, 

 form. Spain. B.M. 2425. B.R. 

 398. Gn. 47, p. 147. Good for 

 rockeries. Hardy in the middle 

 states. 



azureus, Baker (Musoari aziir- 

 eum, Fenzl). Looks like a grape 

 hyacinth (or Muscari) : 4-8 in. tall, 

 with strongly canaliculate, 

 glaucous Ivs. : fls. blue, fra- 

 grant, in a dense spike 1 in. 

 long, tubular, with small 

 teeth: distinguished from 

 the genus Muscari by the 

 perianth-segms. being flar- 

 ing instead of incurved. 

 Medit. region. B.M. 6822. 

 G.C. III. 24:191 (var. gi- 

 ganteus). Gn. 75, p. 176. 

 Hardy in middle states. 

 This species is probably to 

 be called If . ciliatus, Cyrill., 

 or a form of it. 



1 in eatus , S t e u d . LOWJ 

 2-4 in. high: Ivs. 2 or 3, 

 oblong -lanceolate, falcate, 

 about equaling the scape: fls. small (J^in. or less long), 

 6-12 in a raceme 1 in. long, blue, campanulate, ascend- 

 ing. Asia Minor. Gt. 1887, p. 446. G.C. III. 29:103: 

 39:210. Gn. 76, p. 169. J.H. III. 65:203 (asH. azureus 

 var. lineatus). 



fastigiatus, Bertol. (H. Pouzdlzii, Gay). A delicate 

 species, with very narrow Ivs., scape 3-5 in. high and 

 shorter than the Ivs. : fls. few, in a loose cluster, J^-J^in. 

 long and light blue (a white form), with oblong-lanceo- 

 late segms. longer than the tube. Corsica. B.M. 6663. 

 Hardy in S. New England. Has the look of Scilla 

 verna. 



H. candicans, Baker=Galtonia. Gn. 75, p. 80. G. 2:546. 

 H. romanus, of Linnaeus, is not the H. romanus of horticulturists 

 (which is the Roman hyacinth, a form of H. orientalis). Linnaeus' 

 species is a blue-white, scilla-like plant (see B.M. 939, as Scilla 

 romana). T TT T> 



Ll. 11. >. 



Culture of the hyacinth. The perfection of the 

 hyacinth flower depends largely on the strength of the 

 roots, and as the plants make all their root-growth in 

 autumn, the bulbs should be planted early, say from 

 the beginning to the middle of October. Any good 

 garden soil suits, provided it is well drained. The 

 ground should be carefully prepared by spading to a 

 depth of 20 inches, so that the roots may pass straight 

 through it to their full development of 12 or 16 inches. 

 If the soil is naturally stiff, it may be lightened by the 

 addition of sand, and if the beds have been occupied by 

 other plants during the summer, some clean old cow- 

 manure, well worked in, is recommended. Horse- 

 manure should not be used. 



The bulbs should be planted 6 inches deep (to the 

 bottom of the bulbs) and very uniformly, to insure 

 simultaneous flowering. The ground having been pre- 

 pared as above, perhaps the best way is to remove 3 

 or 4 inches of the earth, level the bed carefully with the 



1926. Common or Dutch 

 hyacinth. 



rake and set the bulbs in it 5 or 6 inches apart each 

 way, pressing them in firmly, and then covering them 

 evenly with the earth that has been taken out. When 

 winter sets in, the beds should be covered with 2 inches 

 of dry litter or coarse manure. As soon as the shoots 

 appear above ground in the spring, 1 inch of this cover- 

 ing should be removed and the remainder when danger 

 from late frosts is past. 



For large beds and borders, second-size named hya- 

 cinths are used to a great advantage. The flower- 

 spikes are not so large as from the first-size bulbs, but 

 the latter when in bloom in the open usually become 

 top-heavy and are often blown down by wind, while 

 the flowers of the second-size bulbs stand more erect 

 and last longer. 



Forcing in pots. 



For growing indoors in pots, large, solid bulbs should 

 be chosen, and potted singly in 5-inch pots in a rich 

 compost of loam, leaf-mold and sharp sand. A few 

 pieces of broken pot being placed in the bottom for 

 drainage, the pots should be filled lightly, and the bulbs 

 pressed into the loose soil till only the apex remains 

 above the surface. The pots are then buried to a depth 

 of 8 or 10 inches in the open ground or in a frame for 

 seven or eight weeks, till the roots are developed fully 

 and the sprout is about 1% inches above the bulb. 

 When taken inside, they should be kept in subdued 

 light, at a temperature of about 50, until the sprout has 

 assumed a vigorous green color. Florists who force large 

 numbers for winter decorations set them under the 

 greenhouse benches for about two weeks, and then force 

 them in a temperature of 70. A greater heat than this 

 attenuates the growth and weakens the color. Syrin- 

 ging with water twice a day is recommended, and as 

 the flower-spike develops, weak manure-water is help- 

 ful. The slower hyacinths are forced, the finer and more 

 lasting will be the bloom. Bulbs wanted in flower for 

 Christmas should be potted in September, and for a 

 succession later, at intervals as desired. Single hya- 

 cinths are handsomer and force better than the double, 

 although a few of the latter may be recommended. The 

 following are among the best adapted for forcing and are 

 largely grown by American florists: 



Single blue. Grand 

 Maitre, deep lavender-blue. 

 Czar Peter, light blue. King 

 of the Blues, dark blue. 

 Leonidas, clear blue. Queen 

 of the Blues, light blue. 

 R e g u 1 u s, porcelain - blue. 

 Schotel, pale blue. 



Double blue. Bloksberg, 

 porcelain-blue. Van Speyk, 

 lilac-blue. 



Single white. Angenis 

 Chistina, pure white. Bar- 

 oness van Thuyll, pure 

 white. Grandeur a Mer- 

 veille, blush -white. La 

 Grandesse, pure white. 

 L'Innocence, pure white. 

 Madame Van der Hoop, pure 

 white. Mimi, blush-white. 

 Paix de 1'Europe, pure white. 



Double white. La Tour 

 d'Auvergne, pure white. 

 Isabella, blush-white. 



Single red. De Wet, light 

 rose. Gertrude, bright pink. 

 Gigantea, bright rose. Lady 

 Derby, lovely pink. La 

 Victoire, brilliant scarlet- 

 red. Moreno, waxy pink. 

 Norma, delicate waxy pink. 

 Robert Steiger, crimson. 1927. Roman hyacinth. 



