594 



HYACINTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



HYACINTHUS. 



scarcely less hardy. Hyacinths in the open 

 air are generally the refuse, as it were, of 

 the forced bulbs of preceding years, but 

 even these create a good display in suit- 

 able positions. To have a fine bloom of 

 Hyacinths in the open air, however, it is 

 essential that the bulbs should be good 

 and sound, and due regard paid to assort- 

 ment of colour, as tints massed by them- 

 selves are far more effective than a con- 

 fusion of various colours. Now that bulbs 

 may be obtained cheap there is no diffi- 

 culty. The hyacinth will grow well in 

 any good garden soil, but a light rich soil 

 suits it best, and the bed should be 

 effectually drained, for though the plant 

 loves moisture, it cannot stand in a boL r 



flowering, if there is fully 6 in. of earth 

 over the crowns. No protection is better 

 than dry litter, but a thin coat of half- 

 rotten manure spread over the bed is safer 

 if severe frosts are likely to come at any 

 time before the growth has fairly pushed 

 through. The bulbs need no further 

 attention until the flower-stems are much 

 advanced, unless very severe weather 

 intervenes, when a mat or some oiled 

 calico should be thrown over them. 

 Waterproof calico is also useful in very 

 wet weather, as too much water, especially 

 when iced by February frosts and March 

 winds, is by no means good for Hyacinths, 

 which will thrive all the better for a water- 

 proof covering. Hyacinths in the open 



Hyacinths. 



during the winter. It is advisable to 

 plant early and deep. If a rich effect is I 

 required, the bulbs should be 6 in. apart, 

 but a good effect may be produced by 

 planting them 9 in. or even more apart. 

 The time of blooming may to some extent 

 be influenced by the time and manner of 

 planting, but no rules can be given to suit 

 particular cases. Late planting and deep 

 planting both tend to defer the bloom, 

 but make no great difference, and as a 

 rule late bloom is to be preferred, being 

 less liable to injury from frost. The 

 shallowest planting should ensure a 

 depth of 3 in. of earth above the crown 

 of the bulb, but, generally speaking, 

 they will flower better, be a few days 

 later, and form stronger bulbs after 



air seldom require artificial watering, the 

 natural moisture of the soil and the 

 strength of the manure mixed with it 

 being sufficient. When grown in beds 

 | they do not require sticks or ties ; simply 

 proper planting. After blooming, the 

 bulbs, if intended to flower again, must be 

 | left undisturbed until the leaves wither or 

 I die. The bulbs should then be taken up, 

 i dried in a stack for a week or two, and 

 finally placed in the sun for a few hours, 

 the dry leaves being pulled off. Offsets 

 ; should also be removed from the bulbs, 

 and stored' in dry sand or earth till the 

 next planting time. Some take up the 

 bulbs every year, but we have seen hand- 

 j some beds that were not disturbed for 

 several years. Offsets, carefully cultivated 



