HYACINTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



HYACINTHUS 



too much, just like any other plant 

 grown in a restricted space. A little 

 weak liquid manure may be given once 

 or twice a week when the growth 

 is vigorous. The flower - spikes, 

 if strong and sturdy, will not re- 

 quire staking. Sometimes, however, 

 the trusses are rather heavy and in- 

 clined to bend down. In such cases 

 thin neutral-tinted twigs or wires 

 may be used as supports that are not 

 too conspicuous. 



Hyacinths in Glasses. — For room 

 decoration Hyacinths are particularly 

 useful when grown in ornamental 

 bowls or glasses containing water. 

 Some designs are shown in the 

 illustrations. The receptacles are 

 filled with water just to the base of 

 the bulb. This sits on a ledge all 

 round so that it shall not be im- 

 mersed. To secure good results the 

 glaisses with the bulbs and water 

 should be placed in a dark place with 

 a temperature of about 50° F. until 

 the roots have grown well into the 

 water. The bulbs may be started 

 in advance in moist soil or coco-nut 

 fibre before placing them in the 

 glasses. Light and more warmth 

 may then be given to the plants and 

 growth will proceed steadily, the 

 flower-truss pushing its way up from 

 the crown through the leaves. The 

 main point is to get the roots to 

 grow before the leaves or flower- 

 spike, and this cannot be accom- 

 plished if the bulbs are placed in too 

 much heat and light at first. As the 

 water vanishes by root absorption 

 and evaporation, it must be renewed 

 occasionally, and a few lumps of 

 charcoal may be added to counteract 

 any tendency to an offensive odour. 

 Hyacinths may also be grown in 

 Turnips, Beets, Swedes, or Mangels 

 that have been scooped out and hung 

 up and kept moistened from time 

 to time. 



" Roman " Hyacinths. — These are 

 a French form of II. orientalis known 

 as alhidus. The flowers are pure 

 white, and borne in graceful spikes 

 on slender stems. Large numbers are 

 forced in heat annually for the big 

 markets, from Christmas to February 

 and March, and they are often grown 

 for early decoration in private gar- 

 dens. There is a blue Eoman Hya- 

 cinth also that flowers somewhat 

 later than the white form. The 

 White Italian Roman Hyacinth 

 H. romanus (£ot. Mag. t. 939) has 

 pure white flowers, and blooms later 

 than the ordinary Eoman type ; and 

 there is also a double-flowered Itahan 

 form with rose-coloured blossoms. 



The following are some standard 

 varieties of Hyacinths worthy of 

 notice : — 



Single Puee White and Tinted 

 White. 



Baroness van 



Thuyll. 

 Duke of Clarence. 

 Grand Blanche. 

 Grandeur a Mer- 



veille. 

 King of Whites. 

 Lady Derby. 

 La Belle Blanchis- 



seuse. 

 La Franchise. 



La Grandesse. 

 Leviathan. 

 L'Innocence. 

 Madame van der 



Hoop. 

 Mina. 



Mr PlimsoU. 

 Paix de I'Europe. 

 Pavilion Blanc. 

 Simplicity. 

 Voltaire. 



Single Blue. 



282 



Those marked thus * 



*Baron van Thuyll. 

 *Bleu Mourant. 

 Blondin. 



Charles Dickens. 

 Claret Cup. 

 Count Andrassy. 

 Czar Peter. 

 Distinction. 

 *Duke of Con- 

 naught. 



are very dark. 



Electra. 

 Galatea. 

 Grand Lilas. 

 Grand Maitre. 

 *King Cole. 

 *King of the 



Blues. 

 La Peyrouse. 

 Lord Balfour. 

 *Mary. 



