November, 1911 
This is a great mis- 
take, for there never 
yet existed a bed, or 
border, or grouping of 
colored Hyacinths that 
could afford to be with- 
out the snowy purity 
of the white flowers, 
lending just that note 
of contrast that one 
needs to find in every 
bulbeanrdens lit one 
looks for mere color 
effect in massing, the 
dumpy, short-stalked, 
“‘thick,’’ double varie- 
ties of Hyacinths may 
be employed. Their 
colors are varied and 
lovely, and their fra- 
grance permeating; 
but they quite lack the 
exquisite beauty of the 
single varieties. 
Fortunately, Hya- 
cinths may be planted 
late, even into No- 
vember. One recommends fresh bulbs each year, but that 
is not absolutely necessary, though they must, in any event, 
be “‘lifted” in May, after they cease flowering. The finer 
bulbs send up flowered spikes from ten to fifteen inches in 
height. Hyacinths should be planted eight inches apart and 
about five inches deep. Directions were given in the Octo- 
ber issue of AMERICAN HoMEs AND GARDENS for bulb 
planting, and one need only repeat here that, in common 
with other bulbs, Hyacinths 
should be placed in the earth 
upon a little thin bed of 
sand below the bulbs, and 
after being covered with 
earth, should have the fur- 
ther protection of a mulch, 
of either manurial dressing 
or leaves. Evergreen 
boughs (cedars and _ bal- 
sams) make a good cover- 
ing throughout a_ severe 
winter. When spring ar- 
rives the mulch should be 
removed, not all at once, 
but gradually, so the earth 
below, which comes in con- 
tact with the bulbs, will 
not be chilled too suddenly. 
Hyacinths for indoors 
may be started in deep pots 
in November. The best 
potting soil I have expert- 
mented with has been com- 
posed of a compost pre- 
pared of one part of rich 
loam, one part of thor- 
oughly decomposed barn- 
yard manure, and one half 
part clean, coarse sand. 
The bulb crowns should be 
left about half an inch 
above the surface of the 
soil, and the root end should 
rest upon a base of char- 
coal-covered potsherds. 
The single-flowered Oriental Hyacinth 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Hyacinths planted for naturalistic effects always reward the trouble 
taken with them 
401 
Press down the soil 
firmly around the bulb 
and wet it thoroughly. 
Either “plunge” the 
pots or set them safely 
away in a dark, warm 
place, where the. soil 
may be kept fairly 
damp. 
When the bulbs are 
firmly rooted (one 
may tell by turning out 
a sample pot for ex- 
amination) bring them 
Comune luoghht aslehic 
whitish - green shoot, 
an inch or so in height, 
will soon darken in 
color and will grow 
with great rapidity, a 
few weeks’ time bring- 
ing forth the flower 
spike. Hyacinths re- 
quire liberal watering im 
when brought forth — ; ie 
from their seclusion. The blue and the white Grape-Hyacinth 
It is possible to grow 
Hyacinths in pure sand, if this has been washed to free it 
from salt. The Hyacinth glasses, to be found at every 
nurseryman’s or at every florist’s, are devised for the pur- 
pose of growing Hyacinths in water. In experimenting I 
have found it a most satisfactory method to keep the 
bulbs in dampened moss for a preliminary period of two 
weeks, placing the bulbs then on top of the water-filled Hya- 
cinth glasses. This can be done in a succession of weeks in 
November, and will pro- 
duce a succession of bloom. 
Remember, that the water 
should just touch the lower 
part of the Hyacinth bulb, 
and rain-water should be 
used for the purpose when 
it is possible to obtain it, 
changing it every ten days, 
and carefully supplying any 
deficiency caused by evapo- 
ration in the interval. The 
bulbs placed in Hyacinth 
glasses must be kept in 
some warm, dark place 
until the glass is half filled 
with roots. Great care 
must also be taken that the 
water in changing be the 
same temperature as that of 
which it takes the place. 
The water must never be 
too cold. 
There is not much to be 
said about the matter of 
choosing Hyacinth bulbs, 
but the little that is to be 
said is of great importance. 
One should remember bulbs 
must be chosen not for size, 
but for hardness and solid- 
ity, and the bases must be 
thoroughly sound. Medium 
sized, firm, hard and 
heavy bulbs are always to 
be chosen for planting. 
