Dee Nash forced hyacinths forced to bloom on 1960s vases. (C) Photo courtesy Dee Nash
I feel a lot better blaming the hyacinths than myself.
I thought I was so smart. Last fall, in the season of bulb madness, I hung onto about 25 Dutch hyacinths rather than planting them in the ground.
I’ll just chill these on the enclosed, unheated porch and in spring, set each bulb atop a hyacinth vase filled with water. My expectation was roots would soon establish and the leaves hiding the flower would emerge.
Epic fail – no sprouts or leaves and one root about 1-inch long. So, I called my award-winning garden writing colleague Dee Nash (reddirtramblings.com) in Oklahoma. Nash is known as a hyacinth aficionado, so much so that every year, she hunts for and purchases antique hyacinth vases. Each fall she plants 70 to 80 bulbs in vases with water or in terra cotta pots with soil.
“They are the only thing that keeps me sane in February,” said Nash, an award winning blogger, writer and author. “February is gray every day.”
Dutch hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are readily available at garden centers and other retailers and online bulb merchants in fall for planting. These fragrant, spring-blooming bulbs can be grown in the garden, but they are particularly well suited for forcing in pots or as what’s called on vase.
Forcing hyacinths on vases was a major trend during Victorian times and experienced a resurgence in the 1960s. Specialized hyacinth vases have an hourglass shape, designed to hold the bulb just above the water. The bulbs should be close enough “to smell the water,” but not touch it, Nash said.
Dee Nash’s forced hyacinths have roots and the leaves and flower buds are growing. (C) Photo courtesy Dee Nash
Over the next 12 to 18 weeks, white roots reach into the water, and eventually, leaves and flower bud emerge and the bulbs and vase can be moved to a . During this period, the forced hyacinths on vase, need to be stored where the temperature is 35F to 48F.
Nash stores some hyacinths on vase in a refrigerator. “No fruit, though,” she said. Ethylene gas kills the embryonic flower bud. If stowing in a fridge, place the bulb and vase in a paper bag. Some experts recommend a plastic bag, but Nash said it would hold moisture, which could cause the bulb to rot.
Hyacinths planted in pots can spend their cold period stored on an unheated, enclosed porch, unheated garage or in a protected area outdoors.
The reason mine were an epic fail is likely because they didn’t have a chance to form roots. Starting with them on vase or in pots will be the way to go next year.
Hyacinths failed to do anything, even though they went through a chill period. (C) Photo Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
If all this seems too much, you can almost always get forced hyacinths on vase at Trader Joe’s.
“They are such things of joy,” Nash said.