HYACINTHUS 



HYACINTHUS 



781 



jinth is extensively grown in Holland for export to this 

 and other countries, and consequently is commonly 

 known as the Dutch Hyacinth. The Roman Hyacinth 

 iFigs. 1109-10) is var. albulus, Baker (H. dlbiilus, Jord. 

 3". fiomdnus, Hort., not Linn.), is smaller and slenderer, 

 Ivs. narrower, very erect, fls. fewer, earlier, white or 

 blush, the tube cylindrical and scarcely ventricose, the 

 segments narrower and usually proportionately shorter. 

 Central France, and perhaps in the Mediterranean re- 

 gion. Much used for early bloom. The Hyacinth has 

 been cultivated for some centuries, and it shared some 

 of the early popularity of the tulip in the Netherlands. 

 H. orientalis is wild in Syria, Asia Minor, Greece and 

 Dalraatia. For a picture of a Hyacinth bulb, see Fig. 

 288, Vol. I. 



Other species are sometimes seen in the gardens of 

 the curious, particularly H. amethystinus, Linn., Spain, 

 France (B.M. 2425. Gn. 47, p. 147), and H. azureus, 

 Baker (B.M. 6822. G.C. III. 24:191, var. giganteus), 

 Mediterranean region. The former is slender and grace- 

 ful, with light blue fls. in short racemes, standing nearly 

 or quite K ft. high : fls. small, nodding, bell-shaped, 

 with short teeth-like segments. There is a white-fld. 

 form. Good for rockeries. Hardy in the middle states. 

 The latter species is by some considered to be a 

 form of H. ciliatus, Cyrill. Looks like a Grape Hya- 

 cinth (or Muscari) : 4-8 in. tall, with strongly canalicu- 

 late, glaucous Ivs. : fls. blue, fragrant, in a dense spike 

 1 in. long, tubular, with small teeth. Distinguished 

 from the genus Muscari by the perianth segments being 

 flaring instead of incurved. Hardy in middle states. 

 H. fastigiatus, Bertol. (H. Pouzolzii, Gay) is a Corsican 

 species, which is hardy in southern New England. It is 

 a delicate species, with very narrow Ivs., scape 3-5 in. 

 high and shorter than the Ivs. : fls. few, in a loose 

 cluster, %-Yz in. long and light blue (a white form), with 

 oblong-lanceolate segments longer than the tube. B.M. 

 6663. Hyacinthus Homdnus, of Linnaeus, is not the H. 

 Romanus of horticulturists (which is the Roman Hya- 

 cinth, H. orientalis, var. al- 

 bulus). Linnaeus' species is a 

 blue-white, scilla-like plant (see 

 B.M. 939). H. cdndicans is now 

 referred to Galtonia. For gen- 

 eral cultural notes, see JBulbs. 

 L. H. B. 



CULTURE OP THE HYACINTH. 

 The perfection of the flower 

 depends largely upon the 

 strength of the roots, and as 

 Hyacinths make all their root 

 growth in the fall, the bulbs 

 should be planted early, say 

 from the beginning to the mid- 

 dle of October. Any good gar- 

 den soil suits, provided it is 

 well drained. The ground 

 should be carefully pre- 

 pared by spading to a 

 depth of 20 inches, so that 

 the roots may pass straight 

 through it to their full de- 

 velopment of 12 or 16 

 inches. If the soil is nat- 

 urally stiff it may be light- 

 ened by the addition of 

 some sand, and if the beds 

 have been occupied by 

 other plants during the 

 summer, some pure 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 in- 

 sure simultaneous flowering. The ground having been 

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

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

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

 way, pressing them in firmly, and then covering them 



1109. Roman Hyacinth. 



1108, Common or Dutch 

 Hyacinth. 



evenly with the soil that had been taken out. When 

 winter sets in, the beds should be covered witn 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 balance when danger 

 from late frosts is past. 

 Unnamed Hyacinths in sepa- 

 rate colors can be bought 

 cheaply, and when grown in 

 masses of solid color or in 

 design beds, they make a 

 very rich display. 



Forcing in Pots. For this 

 purpose large, solid bulbs 

 should be selected, and pot- 

 ted singly in 5-inch pots in 

 a rich compost of loam, leaf- 

 mold and some 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 re- 

 mains above the surface. 

 The pots are then buried to 

 a depth of 8 or 10 inches in 

 the open ground for seven 

 or eight weeks, till the roots 

 are developed fully and the 

 sprout is about IK in. above 

 the bulb. When taken inside 

 they should be kept in sub- 

 dued light, at a temperature 

 of about 50, until the sprout 

 has assumed a vigorous 

 green color. Florists who 

 force large numbers for win- 

 ter decorations, set them un 

 der 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. 

 Syringing 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 

 most largely grown by American florists : 



SINGLE BLUE : 



Baron van Thuyll. China-blue. 



Charles Dickens. Dark Dorcelain. 



Czar Peter. Light blue. 



King of the Blues. Dark blue. 



Leonidas. Clear blue. 



Queen of the Blues. Light blue. 



Regulus. Porcelain-blue. 

 DOUBLE BLUE : 



Charles Dickens. Dark blue. 



Van Speyk. Lilac-blue. 

 SINGLE WHITE : 



Alba superbissima. Pure white. 



Baroness van Thuyll. Pure white. 



Grandeur a Merveille. Blush-white. 



La Grandesse. Pure white. 



L'Innocence. Pure white. 



Madame Vanderhoop. Pure white. 



Mont Blanc. Pure white. 



Paix de 1'Europe. Pure white. 

 DOUBLE WHITE : 



La Tour d'Auvergne. Pure white. 



Prince of Waterloo. Pure white. 

 SINGLE RED : 



Charles Dickens. Pink. 



Gertrude. Bright pink. 



Gigantea. Bright rose. 



Moreno. Waxy pink. 



Norma. Delicate waxy pink. 



Robert Steiger. Crimson. 



Sultan Favorite. Salmon. 



