HYACINTHUS 



LILY OBDEB 



HYACINTHUS 833 



M. maweanum.— An Armenian species 

 with spreading linear leaves 6-8 in. long 

 and J in. wide, slightly glaucous and 

 channelled. The flowers are bright light 

 blue, borne in dense racemes on stalks 

 3-4 in. high ; the segments of the oblong 

 perianth are roundish, and white in colour. 



Culture do. as above. 



M. moschatum {Music Hyacinth). — A 

 pretty little species from Asia Minor, 

 having linear channelled leaves, and small 

 but very sweet-scented flowers, changing 

 from purple at first to a greenish-yellow 

 tinged with violet. They appear in spring 

 in dense roundish clusters over 2 in. long, 

 on scapes about 9 in. high. The variety 

 fla/oum (M. macrocarpum) has larger and 

 looser clusters of yellowish flowers with 

 purple teeth. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. neglectum. — A native of S. Europe 

 with linear deeply channelled fleshy leaves 

 and deep blue sweet-scented flowers, 30-40 

 in a dense raceme about 2 in. long on a 

 scape 6-9 in. high. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. racemosum {Syacinthua race- 

 mosus). — ^This pretty species is a native 

 of England and is occasionally found in 

 the sandy pastures of some of the eastern 

 counties. It has small bulbs, half-round 

 slender channelled leaves, 6-10 in. long, 

 and short cylindric racemes of deep blue 

 plum-scented flowers, the upper ones of 

 which are sterile. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. szovitsianum. — A rather large- 

 bulbed species from the Caucasus, Persia, 

 &c., with flaccid half-round slender leaves 

 5-6 in. long, and dense racemes in March 

 and April of faintly scented bright blue 

 fertile and pale blue sterile flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. 



HYACINTHUS (Hyacinth). — A 

 genus of well-known beautifxil plants 

 having roundish tunicated bulbs, linear 

 or strap-shaped radical leaves, and erect, 

 spreading or drooping flowers in loose or 

 dense racemes at the top of a leafless 

 scape. The funnel- or bell-shapedperianth 

 has 6 erect, spreading, or recurved lobes, 

 and 6 stamens. Capsule roundish, 3 

 ribbed or lobed, few-seeded. 



There are about 80 species of Hyacinth 

 all of which, except 3 from south and 

 tropical Africa, are natives of the Mediter- 



ranean region and the East. Only a few 

 natural species, however, are cultivated, 

 but the 'genus is not so remarkable for 

 these as for the many fine and beautiful 

 garden forms of H. orientaUs, which are 

 now grown literally in hundreds of 

 thousands in Holland, where the light 

 sandy nature of the soil and the climate 

 are particularly suitable for their full 

 development and ripening. The bulbs 

 are imported in large quantities into this 

 country every autumn, as better results 

 are undoubtedly obtained from them than 

 from bulbs that have been ripened at 

 home. The latter, however, if stored in 

 cool dry airy sheds in single layers on 

 perforated shelves will keep in good con- 

 dition and give a very fair display of 

 flower in spring, so that they are not to 

 be altogether despised. Bulbs, however, 

 that have been strongly forced into early 

 flower in great heat are practically useless 

 for this purpose, and time and temper 

 will be saved by throwing them away in 

 favour of fresh ones. 



Open ■ air Cultivation. — Hyacinth 

 bulbs for the outdoor garden are generally 

 smaller and cheaper than those grown 

 under glass, and are known as ' Bedding 

 Hyacinths ' by nurser3anen. They 

 flourish in almost any good garden soil 

 so long as it is well drained and free from 

 stagnant moisture. A light soil well dug 

 and manured some weeks before planting 

 will give the best results, but the bulbs 

 should never come directly in contact 

 with manure. A handful of sand placed 

 under each bulb is a very common prac- 

 tice, and is chiefly valuable for draining 

 water away from the base of the bulb. 



From the end of September to Novem- 

 ber is the best time for planting the bulbs, 

 although good results are obtainable even 

 when they have been planted in Decem- 

 ber in mild seasons. The time of planting 

 only slightly influences the period of 

 flowering in spring, perhaps more with 

 some varieties than others, and there is 

 certainly nothing gained by keeping the 

 bulbs out of the soU when they have 

 begun to sprout. The bulbs should be 

 6-8 in. apart, and 4-6 in. below the sur- 

 face of the soil. In the event of severe 

 weather a layer of litter, leaves, or well- 

 rotted manure may be placed over the 

 beds, or where this is considered too im- 

 sightly, a layer of coco-nut fibre wiU 

 make a good substitute and have a neat 

 appearance. By planting the bulbs thus 



3h 



