Hyacinth
Also called Common hyacinth, Dutch hyacinth.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 45 days in the growing season, every 10 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 25 cm (10 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Hyacinth entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The principle is thought to be narcissus like alkaloids, causing intense vomiting, diarrhoea that can contain blood, depression and tremors. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
A hyacinth is the most concentrated scent in the bulb world, and one bowl of three will fill a room, which is worth knowing before you plant six. Outdoors the bulbs go in during autumn, September and October in the north, and in the autumn months in South Africa when the winter and spring flowering bulbs reach the shops in March. Indoors they are forced, which just means giving them an artificial winter: pot them up, keep them cold and dark for ten to twelve weeks, then bring them into a cool light room. Rushing that cold period is why indoor hyacinths flop with the flower still half inside the leaves. After they finish, feed while the foliage is green, then plant them into the garden, where they settle down and flower more modestly for years.
Ailments observed
| Limp, drooping leaves | A forced bulb brought into warmth and light too early. Give it the full cold dark period, ten to twelve weeks, and move it into a cool bright room rather than a warm one when the shoot is up. |
|---|---|
| It will not flower | A bulb that flowered indoors last year and was not fed afterwards. Feed while the leaves are green and plant it out in the garden in autumn. Forced bulbs take a year or two to build a proper spike again. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for a balcony or a small space
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