Hyacinthus Delft Blue - Garden Hyacinth

The Hyacinthus orientalis or Delft Blue Hyacinth is an extremely fragrant variety, with a completely unique blue flowering, and also the easiest blue variety to force. This bulb produces dense spikes of flowers in a very bright blue colour, reminiscent of the famous Dutch pottery, carried by a curiously coloured blue-violet stem! This early variety also shows beautiful growth and shiny foliage. It has received numerous awards for its multiple qualities. At home, this bulbous plant prepared for forcing will bloom in the heart of winter, in a cool and bright room.

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

The 'Delft Blue' hyacinth, just like it, belongs to the family of hyacinthaceae or asparagaceae. This cultivar, dating back to 1944, is a repeatedly awarded plant, honored in England by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society. It has a large oval bulb and forms a clump of bright green ribbon-like leaves, from which emerges, from December or January indoors, a very dark floral stem, almost midnight blue, sturdy, 20 to 30cm (8 to 12in) long, bearing numerous star-shaped flowers with a thick, waxy substance, vivid lavender blue with a slightly lighter edge, tightly packed together, exuding a sweet fragrance. The foliage is deciduous after flowering. It is at this time that the bulb, whose reserves are depleted, enters dormancy. The forcing technique consists of exposing the bulbs to cold for several weeks, starting from the end of summer, in order to lift their dormancy and induce the flowering process.

Among early bloomers, the hyacinth is one of the few bulbs with large flowers and one of the easiest to force for winter flowering. Reserve a special place for it in a very bright room, away from any heat source. Forcing at home is child's play: for example, get a narrow-necked vase, specially designed for forcing hyacinth bulbs. Fill it with water and place the bulb so that its base is level with the water. Make sure the water level always reaches the base of the bulb, but never higher. Don't hesitate to mix different species of plants suitable for this cultivation method to create original compositions: tulips, daffodils, crocuses, Greek anemones, squills, as well as branches of Japanese quinces, forsythias, apple trees, cherry trees, plum trees etc. The flowers of hyacinths are edible, raw or cooked, and have a slightly mucilaginous texture. They can be crystallised with sugar or added to fruit salads, according to taste. In the past, they were a delicacy that could be found under the name of "Candied Constantinople Hyacinths". The 'Delft Blue' hyacinth will be superb in the company of the 'Fondant' variety (soft pink) or 'Jan Bos' variety (raspberry, red).