garden withindoors

The first step of hyacinth bulb forcing is getting some hyacinth bulbs. This week I received my order from Peter Nyssen and bought some bulbs from B+Q and Sainsburys. I have a print-out of my spreadsheet where I can note which bulb I put in each vase (each vase is numbered). As soon as I started, the cats started appearing, first Bear.

then Scarecrow

then Jeffrey, predictably a cat has gotten in the empty box the bulbs came in

then Victor

After the bulbs, one needs some vases to put them in. I like a range of vases of all styles. On the right (and the terracotta ones on the left) are some of my Victorian vases.

Some of the modern vases, including things I'm just going to use that aren't "official" hyacinth vases such as that jug.

put a hyacinth bulb in the vase and fill it with water to just below the bulb, then put somewhere dark, a shed, cellar, even a closet

I bought prepared hyacinth bulbs from Peter Nyssen and Bloms Bulbs but I also bought

some smaller bulbs from Sainsburys and B+Q

Socks doesn't come outside very much but eventually even he had to come and investigate the hyacinth bulb forcing

the tall cups are useful for hiding bulb imperfections, if the bulbs are split they are on display with the smaller cups, bulb pots and bowls

that salvia stem broke off so I had to pop it in a vase quickly, the hyacinth vases were handy; the smaller bulbs are good for the bulb bowl with 5 bulb holes, some of the larger bulbs don't fit together

after touching hyacinth bulbs for 2 days, I've gotten seriously itchy - be careful, they can be irritating

I wish I'd saved some of the smaller bulbs for the bulb bowls. Fitting 5 close together is difficult. That larger bowl isn't a problem but the smaller ones are challenging.

I got my delivery from Bloms Bulbs today (Tuesday the 18th) so I've been busy getting more vases ready. I'm on the last few vases and realise I've been going so quickly I haven't taken time to enjoy them and these are so beautiful so taking a moment to look at them.

these amethyst vases have such a beautiful jewel-like colour, the classic forcing hyacinth, Delft Blue, seems appropriate to use

Previously Forced Hyacinths in the Garden - March 2018

After forcing the hyacinth bulbs I plant them in the garden. These previous years' hyacinths in the garden are blooming but are much smaller. The garden withindoors meets the garden withoutdoors.

I now have a huge pile of spent hyacinth bulbs to plant in the garden. I think it's warm enough now - for the moment - before the latest cold snap due before Easter.

This is my main bulb forcing windowsill. Many of my photos are quite identifiable because of the backgrounds (also my windowsill upstairs, mantel and front window shown in photos below). I am upset that some people have stolen my photos and presented them as their own.  I am now watermarking my photos but there are still some photos of mine online that are not watermarked yet.  All my content, including photos and text is copyrighted, both at this site and my site www.hyacinthvases.org.uk (and www.gardenwithoutdoors.org.uk).

this is the window above that one, upstairs, same buildings in the background

the mantel in my living room

I have a few plant stands and small tables I put some hyacinth vases on in front of the front window.

and I tend to organise my bulbs and bulb vases on the table on my patio (usually at least one cat is there)

Please do not use my photos without permission.

My amaryllis grew a third flowering stem and is blooming this week. It has 3 flowers - amazing. I cut the other two stems off when the flowers wilted so that all the energy could go into those new flowers. That's probably my very last hyacinth for this year in the amber vase, if it actually opens. It's been very late and slow. The others on the windowsill have no roots and aren't growing.

those flowers are enormous

Victor's not too bothered

those last two hyacinths each only have 1 root but that seems to be enough

a week later and that Delft Blue hyacinth has bloomed, last hyacinth of the year, growing in a repurposed pickle jar

the amaryllis sparkles in the sun

there are a certain number of failures, these bulbs never grew roots - no idea why

I can see some flowers that couldn't emerge.

3 of those failed bulbs were from this bulb bowl, hyacinths can be so annoying when this happens - 1 blooms beautifully and the others do nothing. It wouldn't be so bad if they were in individual vases but together in the bulb bowl, frustating.

I've had a new problem this year. I've had a few hyacinths fall over - common enough - but a few have had their roots torn off in the fall and the stem has gone limp. I haven't had that before. The Delft Blue hyacinth in the green Tye vase was looking beautiful Feb. 10th.

The next day the stem went limp and wouldn't stand up. It had fallen over but I had just stood it upright again - didn't realize there was a problem.

on closer examination I see the roots were torn off, it had had quite a lot of roots

I've had plenty of hyacinths fall over in the past - they can get rather top heavy but I've always just stood them up again. I've had 2 or 3 this year that have lost their roots in the fall. I don't know why suddenly this has happened.

the final wave of my largest and best hyacinths (ignoring those in the Dartington vases at the back and the 3 in the bulb bowl that haven't grown), February 2nd, I should have topped up the water in the vases on the left!

Of the other vases that were languishing in the cellar until recently, I had 9 vases left in the dark until January 25th when I took out 4 and then I took the final 5 out on January 29th when I thought - it's time. None of them have the stem with a bulge indicating the flower is out of the bulb but either they'll grow and bloom or that's it for them this year.

I forgot to take a pic of those 4, or even note the date, but while processing a pic of my cat Victor (looking so sweet asleep on the table) I saw they were in the background so that was lucky.

then those last 5, I remembered to take a pic on their way from my cellar (only accessible from outside) into the house

A week later for those in the previous pic or a few days after those above and some have grown remarkably well and look well on the way to blooming this season but some look well and truly stuck and I don't imagine they'll be doing anything further. The black pot on the left I now realise is not one of the final 9 but it has no roots at all and I don't think it will grow further without any.

then just 3 days later, they are catching up fast, a bloom and fat buds

and a couple days later, they are looking great: (left to right, not including those in the background without buds) Delft Blue (buds), Caribbean Dream (darker purple), Sainsburys (front, buds), Delft Blue, Ann Mary, Anne Marie (buds)

a few days later and they've really blossomed

this is one of my few complete failures; thinking about it, I haven't had many failures this year

Sadly this GP Tye vase got cracked and I only discovered it at the beginning of the forcing season when I put a bulb in it and filled it with water which leaked out.

This is the crack in the vase. Not sure how it happened. The squat vases generally seem pretty tough and sturdy. (It's been sitting outside - unuseable but too good to throw away, gosh I sound like someone on Hoarders).

The hyacinths seem to be blooming in waves and this wave is exquisite. The amaryllis has a new bud as well. I cut off the 2 stems with wilted flowers so all the amaryllis bulb's energy will go to this new flower and not making seeds.

There is some overlap with the vases and bowl in these photos but I wanted to include my ginger cat, Victor, who's so often sitting on that chair - and it's a beautiful sunny day.

Blue Jacket has been a successful hyacinth this year. It has a stripe on the petals. Not that long ago, two of the bulbs in this bowl weren't blooming at all but they're catching up - at least to all be in bloom, to a certain extent, at the same time.

Pacific Ocean flowers are a bit small - but that purple-black colour is intense. Most have finished already and the smell is nothing special so it's all about the colour with this one.

here it is in comparison to other varieties, left to right, Delft Blue, Miss Saigon, Delft Blue, Pacific Ocean, Sainsbury's unnamed

Delft Blue is a great performer. This is one of my best flowers this year.

not quite as large, but still beautiful

As noted already, I love the fat hyacinth buds, bursting open, with colour and scent. I don't know when I first smelled a hyacinth or where they were but I know it was when I was a child and the smell takes me back there and it means SPRING. Sadly, I have no photos of my mother's garden from that time but sure it had hyacinths.

I use this Charles I vase as a hyacinth vase. January 30th is the day he was executed so I will pause and think of him. What comes to mind is "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely" - and I'm thinking of Oliver Cromwell not Charles.

a few days after that pic below, 25th January

those two hyacinths in the middle are some of my best this year, both Delft Blue

I love the emerging buds

as noted, bulblets need to be cut off with some roots, but in this case there are no roots

I'm assuming cutting it with some of the basal plate will be enough and some roots can grow from it.

The two small clear vases, above and below, are Dartington. I'd seen them on ebay but hadn't realised how small they were in comparison with other vases. I don't have many bulbs left to experiement with but it was challenging pushing two in. In future, I can use small bulbs.

the next wave of flowers and buds, 21st January

I love this shade of purple, Blue Star hyacinths

more Pink Elephant hyacinths in this bulb bowl

another bulb bowl with Blue Jacket hyacinth bulbs

Pink Elephant hyacinth on the left, rather pathetic ??? on the right

hyacinths in bloom upstairs

lots of buds, ready for the next wave of flowers, January 17th

some of my best flowers a few days previously, January 12th

Blue Star hyacinth flower, one of the best this year

Delft Blue hyacinth, one of best this year

these are wilting but I wanted to remember how these were some of the best flowers this year: Delft Blue and Caribbean Dream - and it's actually sunny today! (January 17th)

I've had a number of hyacinths in bloom so far this season so I'm already disposing of spent flowers. I generally accumulate the spent bulbs and plant them in one go when they're all finished and the weather is better to plant them in the garden. The vases on the table I just took out of the dark. They don't look very ready to come out but unless they come out soon they won't bloom this season.

while I was going through those spent hyacinths I found this one had a second stem yet to bloom, I cut the wilting stem off and put the bulb back in a vase to allow the second stem to bloom

I cut off that wilting stem and put the bulb in a vase

these are still in the dark in the cellar, even smaller than the ones above

I printed out my spreadsheet to update it while checking the hyacinths, Victor promptly sat on it

I have run out of room on the windowsill (want to keep a bit in the middle for a cat to sit) so I've had to put the latest vases out of the dark on the table. None of these are as developed as I'd like but it's so late in the season now I'm worried about them having time to bloom.

from that bulb bowl above, the hyacinth on the left is one of (if not "the") best this year, Blue Star (I think), in the middle Miss Saigon, the other 3 disppointing failures, no roots and on the right rotten:

although the two on the left look ok from above

These are Pink Elephant hyacinths. I haven't used them before. The stems are a bit sparse but they're interesting looking. They are not "prepared" but seem to have been forced just fine.

the hyacinths develop at such different rates

some of the bulbs have bulblets I didn't notice when I started them, this one is well-developed

I have tried planting bulblets in the past but without any roots they won't develop any and grow. I carefully cut off some of the bulblets with roots attached.

I potted the bulblets up.