January 2022

30-1-2022 some of the final hyacinths of the forcing season

hyacinths

middle 3 Blue Jacket hyacinths from above

Blue Jacket hyacinths

Delft Blue hyacinth, one of the best flowers this year

Delft Blue hyacinths

I didn't start the small hyacinths in the right until mid-December. Wasn't sure they'd have time to bloom but they're looking pretty good considering the late start.

hyacinths

25-1-2022 Delft Blue except 3 Blue Jacket on the right

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

closer view of the Blue Jacket hyacinths, Hornsea bulb pot on the right, 2 cranberry vases with "prongs" on the left - not "official" hyacinth vases but I love putting hyacinth bulbs in any vase that will hold them - and these work very well, some of my best blooms this year

forced Blue Jacket hyacinths

Delft Blue hyacinth in Tye uranium vase

Delft Blue hyacinth in Tye uranium vase

some of my outstanding hyacinths this year, all Delft Blue, Tye vases at the front, glassroots cranberry vase and tall cobalt blue and amethyst 19th century vases at the back

forced Delft Blue hyacinths

21-1-2022 no wonder Delft Blue is "the" hyacinth variety for forcing - gorgeous fat flowerheads and wonderful scent. The flower on the left in the cranberry pronged vase is Blue Jacket, got it mixed up with the Delft Blue hyacinths.

forced Delft Blue hyacinths in hyacinth vases

some of my best blooms this year

Delft Blue forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

this is my best bloom this year, Blue Jacket hyacinth

forced Delft Blue hyacinth

Delft Blue hyacinth buds just opening

Delft Blue hyacinths flowers and buds in hyacinth vases

20-1-2022 Although it's nice to have hyacinths in bloom on Christmas Day, the peak time for the forced hyacinth blooms is January. 

forced hyacinths in bloom in hyacinth vases

forced hyacinths in bud in hyacinth vases

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

19-1-2022 Most of my hyacinths are by my kitchen windowsill as it gets the most light but these are in my living room on the mantel (mirror behind the vases). I was watching tv last night and realized I could smell hyacinths! I haven't been able to smell much as my sense of smell was affected by having covid last October. It's finally coming back. It only takes 2 hyacinth flowerheads to generate that wonderful smell.

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

17-1-2022

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

hyacinths in bud

hyacinth buds in hyacinth vases

forced hyacinth buds

forced hyacinth buds

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus, white crocus in bloom, wilted purple crocus flowers

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus

bent Delft Blue hyacinths, after years of forcing hyacinths, I still don't know what causes this or how to rectify it

bent forced hyacinths

pair of Tye uranium hyacinth vases, sadly the one on the left has chips on the rim

Tye uranium hyacinth vases

close-up of the chips on the rim of the Tye uranium hyacinth vase

Tye uranium hyacinth vase with chips

some hyacinths and cats this morning 15-1-2022

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus in bloom 13-1-2022

wedgwood hedgehog crocus

photo-bombed by 3 black cats - and a black hyacinth vase, my latest purchase from ebay, this is the first time I've bought this type of vase 10-1-2022

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vase

Delft Blue hyacinths, Blue Sapphire hyacinth back left

Delft Blue hyacinth buds

delft blue hyacinth buds

Blue Sapphire hyacinths 10-1-2022

Blue Sapphire hyacinths

I'm not sure what hyacinth variety this is, I didn't buy any pink hyacinths, I think the bins of bulbs at the garden centre must have gotten mixed up

crocus in Wedgwood hedgehog, Delft Blue hyacinths

wedgwood hedgehog crocus

White Pearl hyacinths on the left, Blue Sapphire in the middle, Delft Blue on the right

hyacinths in hyacinth vases

hyacinth (from Sainsbury's) in bloom 5-1-2022

forced hyacinth

crocus just starting to bloom in the Wedgwood hedgehog 5-1-2022

wedgwood hedgehog with crocus

double-stemmed Blue Jacket hyacinth bulb

double-stemmed Blue Jacket hyacinth bulb

White Pearl hyacinths 4-1-2022

forced white pearl hyacinths in hyacinth vases

Happy New Year 2022

hyacinths out of the dark 1-1-2022 with Victor in the background; the shoots are quite yellow when the hyacinths first come out of the dark and they green up in a couple days

forced hyacinths out of dark

hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls 1-1-2022

bulb bowls

hyacinths in bloom and bud in hyacinth vases 1-1-2022

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

hyacinths in bloom and bud in vases and bowls 1-1-2022

hyacinths in bloom and bud

hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls 1-1-2022

forced hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus bulbs 1-1-2022

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus bulbs

hyacinths in bud and bloom

White Pearl hyacinths in bud 30-12-2021

forced white pearl hyacinths hyacinths in hyacinth vases

on closer examination of the Jan Bos hyacinths in the Davidson bulb bowl, 2 of the 3 bulbs have 2 stems, one with a wilting flower, one with a fresh flower

forced Jan Bos hyacinths in Davidson bulb bowl

hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls 29-12-2021

forced hyacinths in bulb bowls

Delft Blue hyacinths in bloom 29-12-2021

forced hyacinths in bloom in hyacinth vases

hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls 29-12-2021

forced hyacinths in bloom in bulb bowls

Merry Christmas!

hyacinths in bloom Christmas day 2021

hyacinths in bloom Christmas day 2021

3rd Week in December

some hyacinths in bloom and bud the day before Christmas Eve

forced hyacinths for Christmas

lots of fat hyacinth buds, I look forward to flowers soon

forced hyacinths in bud before Christmas

hyacinths in bloom a few days before Christmas

Davidson hyacinth bulb bowl

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus bulbs turning green and fat

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus bulbs

Second week in December 2021

These hyacinths are developing well. These will be my first in bloom, hopefully in time for Christmas.

hyacinth bulbs in hyacinth vases

hyacinth bulbs in hyacinth vases

first hyacinths out of the dark Dec 2021

Beginning of December, first hyacinths are ready to come out of the dark. I think they need to be out for 3 weeks before they bloom so that gives a good chance for blooms on Christmas Day.

forced hyacinth bulbs in vases for Christmas

when the bulge of the flower has grown out of the bulb, they are ready to come out of the dark

forced hyacinth out of dark for Christmas

a common failure of forced hyacinths is taking them out of the dark too early, but as long as that bulge is in the stem, they are ready to come into the light, these are ready

forced hyacinth out of the dark for Christmas

forced hyacinth ready to come out of the dark for Christmas

definitely ready to come out of the dark into the light

forced hyacinths ready to come out of the dark for Christmas blooming

these are more than ready - not only is the bulge of the flower grown out of the bulb but one is starting to open, I'm probably a bit late taking this bulb bowl out of the dark (Davidson uranium glass bulb bowl)

Davidson hyacinth bulb bowl with forced bulbs for Christmas blooming

The hyacinth bulb bowls in the cellar, notice what different stages of development the hyacinths are - some are ready to come into the light, some not at all. The downside of using bulb bowls. 

hyacinth bulb bowls

A few days later, I brought up one of the bulb bowls as some of the hyacinths are so ready even if all of the bulbs in a bowl are not at the same stage. Rocky cannot resist playing with the hyacinth bulbs.

hyacinth bulb bowl

hyacinth bulb bowl

hyacinth bulb bowl

hyacinth bulb bowl

Wedgwood Hedgehog Nov 2021

Forcing bulbs can be challenging. This year I was delayed suffering from Covid (despite having both vaccinations) so finally planting up the hedgehog mid-November, later than I would have liked.

wedgwood hedgehog

I broke off the shoots coming out of the sides and bottom of the bulbs. They won't be able to grow in the hedgehog and they will take energy away from the main shoots.

crocus bulbs

Somehow I've managed to make two errors. A couple of the holes do not have bulbs in them - it was very difficult to get them positioned properly and I missed some. And only this morning (after planting it up yesterday), I realised I used some of the mixed crocus rather than just the Record variety which I intended. With different bulbs they will bloom at different times as they did last year so wanted to have the same but did not go according to plan! I will try to be more organised next year.

wedgwood hedgehog with crocus

Wedgwood hedgehog with crocus

Oct 2021 - start of the forcing season

We're a little late starting as the hyacinth growing season was a bit difficult and the hyacinths were late to be harvested but my bulbs ordered from Peter Nyssen arrived this week. My polydactyl cat Scarecrow who came to keep me company when I started doing my bulbs, I always have at least 1 cat appear when I do them.

How to Force Hyacinths
 
1. put the bulb in the cup of the vase
 
2. fill the vase with water to just under the bulb, the bulb must not sit in water (see photo below)
 
3. place the vases somewhere cool and dark for 6 weeks and then check weekly
 
4. I will add photos later of how tall the stem should be for them to come out into the light and warmth
 

forcing hyacinths for Christmas vase

buy bulbs at the garden centre / supermarket / DIY shop / mail order from a specialist supplier, eg Peter Nyssen

forcing hyacinth bulbs for Christmas vase

1. put the bulb in the cup of the vase

forcing hyacinth bulbs for Christmas vase

forcing hyacinths for Christmas vase

forcing hyacinth bulbs for Christmas vase

forcing hyac inth bulbs for Christmas vase

forcing hyacinth bulbs Christmas vase

2. fill the vases with water to just under the bulb, the bulb must not sit in water

forcing hyacinth bulbs for Christmas vase

3. place the vases somewhere cool and dark for 6 weeks and then check weekly

final hyacinths of the 2020/2021 forcing season

The final hyacinths of the forcing season. I'm not sure if those two on the right are going to make it but then I wasn't sure the two in the amethyst and green vases on the left would a week or so ago but they've grown well.

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

two Delft Blue hyacinths

delft blue forced hyacinth

delft blue forced hyacinth

these were the hyacinths a few days before the photos above, 2 City of Bradford on the left, Delft Blue on the right

forced hyacinths in hyacinth vases

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