Hyacinthus City of Haarlem - Garden Hyacinth

Hyacinthus orientalis 'City of Haarlem' is a garden Hyacinth that is grown outdoors, and here it is prepared to bloom early indoors in order to advance its flowering in the heart of winter. What a pleasure it is to enjoy this visual and olfactory spectacle! The large inflorescences of a bright yellow are particularly decorative and emit a delightful fragrance in the house. It will be perfectly at home in a bright and cool room, where it will enhance the atmosphere for several weeks.

Although the Oriental Hyacinth is no longer widely cultivated, this species, native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, has given rise to countless cultivars, highly appreciated in gardens for their delightful spring flowering or in floristry for their forcing ability. 

Formerly classified among the Liliaceae family, the genus Hyacinthus is now classified in the Asparagaceae family, like asparagus, as well as Agave and Yucca. This plant has a large oval bulb and forms a clump of bright green ribbon-like leaves, from which a robust floral stem emerges indoors as early as January, reaching a length of 20cm (8in). It is covered with a multitude of small star-shaped flowers, carried on short peduncles, forming a dense cluster measuring up to 8 or 9cm (3 or 4in) in diameter. Each flower consists of a tube at the base, which opens at the other end into a star-shaped corolla with six elongated, pointed petals. The inflorescence takes on a light to more intense yellow colour, truly brightening up the dark winter days. In addition, it has a fairly intense fragrance that adds to the appeal of this bulbous plant. The foliage is deciduous after flowering, and it is at this time that the bulb, whose reserves are depleted, enters dormancy. The forcing technique involves exposing the bulbs to cold temperatures for several weeks, starting from the end of summer, in order to break their dormancy and induce the flowering process earlier than usual.

Among early bloomers, the hyacinth is one of the most attractive, both for its highly graphic and large inflorescence, and for the sweet fragrance it spreads around. Moreover, it is very easy to force and therefore deserves a prominent place in a very bright room, away from any source of heat.
To create original winter scenes, you can combine 'City of Haarlem' with other bulbous plants suitable for forcing, such as Crocus, the charming Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) with its trailing white bell-shaped flowers, or Muscari aucheri 'Early Magic', with its long, almost unreal blue inflorescences. However, don't limit yourself to flowers alone, and also focus on decorative barks, such as that of Cornus alba 'Baton Rouge', a Dogwood with superb coral red branches, as well as the twisted shoots of the Corylus avellana 'Contorta'. These woody plants will allow you to create compositions worthy of the best florists in your haven.
Hyacinth flowers are edible, raw or cooked, and have a slightly mucilaginous texture. Depending on your preferences, you can crystallize them with sugar or add them to fruit salads. In the past, they were considered a delicacy and could be found under the name "candied hyacinths of Constantinople".