In private areas, hyacinths are often found that transform the garden in spring. These are frost-resistant plants that must be planted in the first decade of December. The article discusses the basic rules of planting and forcing, as well as the most common varieties.
Botanical Description
Hyacinth belongs to the ornamental plants of the Asparagus family. Despite the huge number of varieties (there are more than 400), gardeners and botanists consider this culture monotypic. This means that it consists of one species, but has many forms.
Did you know? Hyacinth is actively used in perfumery. However, some manufacturers save, so they make products based on a synthetic aroma called phenylacetal.
All varieties differ among themselves in the saturation of shades, the shape of the buds and the ability to distill. Many are interested in hyacinths annual or perennial. The plant can be grown both at home and outdoors. Remember to carefully select the variety, depending on the growing conditions. You can not plant indoor flowers on the street, and vice versa.
Detailed botanical description:
- large peduncles, consisting of 50–75 flowers. Their shape is cylindrical or conical;
- pedicels are short;
- lily, basal leaves. Their length is from 19 to 25 cm;
- perianth has the shape of a bell-shaped funnel;
- the bulb is perennial, up to 6 cm in diameter.
How the flower got its name
There is a legend of Ancient Greece, which explains the name of the flower. From Latin, the word Hyacinthus is translated as "rainy flower." In ancient Greece there lived a guy named Hyacinth. He was the son of the Spartan king and friend of Apollo. God regularly descended to earth to teach Hyacinth discus throwing.
Did you know? In Holland, a flower appeared after it was discovered on a ship broken by a storm. After planting, the plant took root and bloomed.
When the next training session was held, Apollo threw the sports equipment and asked his friend to bring it. At the same moment, the god of the wind, who had a love for Hyacinth, turned the disc over, in a fit of jealousy. Inventory broke the head of the young man, and he died from blood loss. Apollo, heartbroken, created a flower from the blood of a deceased friend, which he named in his honor.
Types and varieties of hyacinths
There are some of the most common types:
- Oriental;
- Trans-Caspian;
- Litvinova.
One of the brightest varieties is considered to be the White Pearl. Numerous terry flowers make up a dense inflorescence (up to 40 pcs.). Prefers to grow in partial shade, in a place protected from the sun. The width of the flowers is at least 4 cm. Inflorescences are spherical-cylindrical in shape, up to 15 cm high.
Variety Louvre, which also belongs to the eastern species. It can be grown in open ground or carried out distillation in room conditions. The flowers are blue in color, up to 3 cm wide. The inflorescences are large, in diameter up to 12 cm.
When blooms
The timing of flowering depends on many factors, in particular on the place of growth. In the open field, flowers bloom earlier and are stored on the bushes much longer. The flower blooms longer in the flower beds, because it receives more nutrients not only during feeding, but also from the soil. Spring flower is a real decoration of the garden.
In the open ground
On garden plots, hyacinths bloom from March to May. If you prepare the plants in the fall (cover with a dense layer of mulch - up to 15 cm), then the flowers will appear a week earlier. Some varieties bloom for 2 weeks, but there are some varieties that can delight gardeners with inflorescences for about 3 weeks. If you take good care of the plants, you can transform the area and make it more vibrant and aesthetic.
Important! Until the flowers dry, you can not cut the green mass. Otherwise, nutrients will not enter the bulb.
In a pot
Flowering hyacinth in a pot begins in the spring. Estimated dates depend on the variety selected. On average, culture begins to bloom between March and May. There are varieties with early, medium and late ripening. It also depends on the climatic conditions of growth. Differences in terms can be up to 10-15 days.
The first hyacinths to bloom in blue. After this, varieties with pink flowers appear, and yellow and orange bloom last. The duration of flowering is 7-15 days. Some gardeners, thanks to active care, can increase the duration to 3-4 weeks.
What are combined in the flowerbed
Flowers go well with evergreen shrubs. Very often, hyacinths are planted next to dwarf conifers or herbaceous perennials. Flowers will look beautiful against a background of periwinkle and incense.
In spring, you can plant a crop under cherries or plums. The simultaneous flowering of these trees and hyacinth can create extraordinary beauty in a private garden. Since the aboveground part dries out at the end of June, try to plant ground cover plants nearby. They will cover empty areas of soil after the hyacinths have faded.
Planting and forcing hyacinths
When choosing a place to land, it is necessary to give preference to sunny areas. The soil should be fertile, with a neutral pH level. If soil with high acidity prevails in your garden, then it must be liming. The procedure is carried out 6 months before planting.
Landing is recommended in elevated areas so that the moisture level from melt or rain water does not increase in the root system. Hyacinths are planted in early December. Before planting, it is recommended to soak the bulbs in a light pink solution of manganese (1 tsp. To 5 l of water). They need to be disinfected for no more than 2 hours, so that germination rates do not decrease.
Important! Do not place flower pots near radiators or radiators. So you can increase the flowering time of hyacinths.
When landing, you must correctly mark the area. Between plants there should be a distance of 10–20 cm, depending on the selected variety. Bulbs need to be deepened by 8 cm. It is better to use sand as the drainage that is poured into the holes. The drainage layer should be up to 5 cm.
To protect against frost, cover the plants with spruce branches or dry leaves. You can also deal with the forcing of flowers in indoor conditions. To do this, there are several basic rules that must be followed.
Features of forcing flowers are as follows:
- Use only large bulbs on the surface of which there are no signs of disease.
- Choose spacious pots with a diameter and height of at least 15 cm.
- Plant bulbs in nutritious soil and water abundantly.
- Place the pots in a cool room, the temperature of which is no more than + 5 ° С.
- When the plants grow to 5 cm, place the containers on the coolest window sill so that the temperature is from +10 to + 12 ° С.
- Cover the pots with a paper cap for 10 days.
- When the height of the plant is 15 cm, put containers in the part of the house that is best lit by sunlight.
Now you know how and when hyacinths bloom, provided they are planted in open ground or indoors. These flowers can be combined well with different cultures, especially with coniferous bushes. Try to adhere to all the rules to extend the flowering period and grow beautiful hyacinths.
