Common name:Hyacinth, Dutch /Common/Garden Hyacinth
Family: Liliaceae (Hyacinthaceae), Lily (Hyacinth)
Height x width: 6-10" x 3"
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Bulbs: rounded with point on
top, outer scales flaky, outer color often reflective of flower color,
generally 2" across and fairly uniform
Foliage: 3-4 basal, straplike leaves, margins upturned as in a boat keel, up to 1" wide and 10" long
Flowers: individual flowers 1" long with 6 spreading and reflexed perianth segments; extremely fragrant; 15-30 or more flowers per cylindrical raceme; many colors; spring.
Hardiness: hardy bulb, zones 3-7
Soil: well-drained, fertile; best growth in soil with organic matter and sand
Light: sun
Pests and problems: bacterial rot, viruses, aphids, nematodes although none serious
Landscape habit, uses: mass in formal borders or beds, containers, force indoors
Other interest:native to west and central Asia; named after Spartan youth of Greek mythology Hyakinthos who, when accidentally killed by god Apollo, had hyacinths spring up where his blood fell.
Other culture: flowers become smaller each year, lasting usually 3-5 years before discarding; graded by bulb size, the larger the number the larger the bulb and better flower although larger and more likely to need staking.
Propagation: bulblets from mother bulb which increase slowly, so should be purchased for fall planting; also bulblets form if mother bulb is cut ½" deep crosswise.
Species:
orientalis (or-ee-en-tal' iss)--only species of commerce,
only
2 other species in genus.
Cultivars: (of orientalis)
| Cultivars | flowers | other |
| 'Aeolus' | ivory white | |
| 'Amethyst' | lilac | |
| 'Anna Marie' | light pink | |
| 'Blue Blazer' | violet blue | |
| 'Blue Giant' | light blue | |
| 'Blue Jacket' | blue and purple | |
| 'Carnegie' | white | |
| 'City of Haarlem' | yellow | |
| 'Delft Blue' | blue | |
| 'Distinction' | deep red-violet | |
| 'Gypsy Queen' | salmon orange | |
| 'Hollyhock' | double red | |
| 'Jan Bos' | cherry red | |
| 'Lady Derby' | pink | |
| 'L'Innocence' | white | |
| 'Myosotis' | pale blue | |
| 'Ostara' | blue-violet | |
| 'Peter Stuyvesant' | purple | |
| 'Pink Pearl' | deep pink | |
| 'Pink Perfection' | medium pink | |
| 'Purple Passion' | red-purple | |
| 'Queen of the Whites' | white | |
| 'Rose of Naples' | blush pink, double | |
| 'Splendid Cornelia' | mauve violet, darker veins | |
| 'Violet Pearl' | lilac purple | |
| 'White Pearl' | white | |
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