Hyacinths — Hyacinths in Pots — Scillas — Puschkinias — Chionodoxas — Chionoscillas — Muscaris

This group of bulbs is one of the most valuable, their bright colours and beautiful forms giving the garden much of its attraction in their season.

Hyacinths

The garden Hyacinths, the offspring of H. orientalis, are fine for beds or for groups or lines in borders, although too stiff for planting in grass. They like a good, but light, soil, well enriched with thoroughly rotted cow-manure, and may be planted three inches deep in a sunny position in October. There are so many good varieties that intending growers would do well to consult the catalogues of dealers and select from them. Mixed Hyacinths are sold at a cheap rate.

Hyacinths in Pots and Glasses

There need be little difficulty experienced in growing Hyacinths in pots, glasses, or jardinets, if proper care is exercised and the bulbs have been properly grown and well-matured the previous season. The pretty early varieties, popularly known as Roman Hyacinths, are very useful, and may be had in bloom at various times by potting at intervals from August onwards, about six bulbs being required for a forty-eight size pot. They like a light rich compost, such as may be made of good fibrous loam, with the addition of well-decayed cow-manure, leaf-soil, and sharp sand; three parts of the first to one each of the second and third being a good proportion. The bulbs should be barely covered, and the pots plunged in ashes and covered with these until the roots have made free growth, when the pots may go into a frame or greenhouse. When the buds show, the pots may be put in bottom heat in a temperature of sixty-five to seventy degrees. The white Roman is the one generally grown for early work, but blush, blue, and straw-coloured forms are also to be had, and form a pleasing change. The large Hyacinths may be grown in a similar compost, although one lighter and richer gives good results. They are potted with the crown just above the surface, and plunged in ashes or fibre in a pit, frame, or open ground. When the spikes show above the ashes they may be taken in and forced if desired. A temperature of about seventy degrees is the highest which should be allowed.

When Hyacinths are grown in water in glasses good sound bulbs must be selected. The water should almost touch the base of the bulb, and a little piece of charcoal should be placed in the glass. After putting in the bulbs the glasses ought to be placed in a cool, dark place, until the roots make their appearance, when they may be brought into the light. Hyacinths may also be grown in moss, Jadoo, and cocoa-fibre and charcoal, and even in sand. Bulbs which have been grown in pots and glasses can afterwards be planted outside.

Other Hyacinths

For early flowering in a sunny place in the rock-garden, the lovely H. azureus, or Muscari azureum, should be grown. It flowers in January or February, and has spikes of small blue flowers. The form freynianum is hardier, but is a little later.

The charming little H. amethystinus, with blue flowers, and its white variety albus, only a few inches high, are bright May-flowering bulbs for the border or rock-garden. They like a light soil.

The Scillas, or Squills, are numerous and important garden flowers. Our native Scilla nutans is pretty in the wild-garden, but it is surpassed by the larger flowers and spikes of S. campanulata or hispanica, the Spanish Squill, which is very beautiful in the garden or the grass. Like our native Scilla, it has sported into several colours, and these show some diversity of quality. The pink and the white varieties of this called rosea grandiflora, Rose Queen, and alba compacta, are all pleasing; as also are grandiflora, deep blue; Emperor, porcelain, striped blue; and aperta, blue, striped white. Less showy, but very delightful, are the early Squills, such as S. bifolia and S. sibirica. These bloom about March, and give some variety of colour. Bifolia is the more variable, and gives us the white variety, alba; a flesh-coloured one, called carnea; and a pink, named rubra. Some new forms, such as Pink Beauty and White Queen, are not in commerce. The typical bifolia and the variety taurica, both blue, are very pretty. S. sibirica is of different habit, though equally dwarf, and has larger, drooping flowers of a fine blue. The variety taurica blooms earlier. S. sibirica alba is one of the greatest acquisitions of recent years, and has charming pure-white flowers. It is a gem for the borders or for pots. Slugs are very fond of S. sibirica. S. verna is a beautiful native Squill, seldom seen in gardens, but its lilac-blue flowers are most attractive. Its white and rose forms are hardly to be met with. S. italica is a somewhat neglected April and May blooming species, with pretty conical heads of light blue flowers. The white variety alba, though scarce, is obtainable, and is a charming plant. Scilla autumnalis likes a light soil, and a warm, dry place on the rockery. It flowers in autumn, and is worth some trouble to establish for the sake of its blue flowers. The pink form, japonica, is desirable.

Ciliaris, hyacinthoides, and peruviana are highly ornamental in the border, with their large heads of flowers in summer, and their broad foliage; they are, however, shy bloomers in some soils after the first year, and want thorough ripening off after blooming.

A Scilla little seen in gardens is Lilio-hyacinthus, which has broad leaves, large bulbs with scales, like those of a Lily, and pretty bluish flowers. There is a rare white variety, but the pink form seems to have been lost.

Puschkinias are pretty bulbous plants allied to the Scillas, and producing neat spikes of porcelain-blue or whitish flowers lined with blue. They are easily grown on light soil, but require protection from slugs when they first appear. They bloom in March, and there is only one species in cultivation—scilloides—the variety compacta having a denser spike.

Chionodoxas deserve all the praise they have received, although in our climate they do not come, as a rule, when we have snow, so that the popular name of "Glory of the Snow" is not so appropriate as in their native country. The best known is C. LuciliÆ, which has blue flowers with a large white eye. The greater number of the others are distinct enough for garden purposes, although classed by botanists as varieties of this species. Sardensis is a favourite, with its smaller, deeper coloured flowers, with hardly any white in the centre. Gigantea and Alleni are nearly alike, but the latter has more flowers on the stem, and is deeper in colour. Tmolusii is the latest to bloom of these varieties; it resembles LuciliÆ, but is of a deeper, more purplish-blue. There are pink, and also white varieties of all these. Cretica is the least effective of the genus, with the exception of the scarce nana, which is a charming, if not showy little flower, almost white and lined with blue.

The Chionoscillas are hybrids between the Chionodoxas and Scillas, S. bifolia being one of the parents of nearly all the forms in existence. These are interesting and pretty in their varied shades of blue or pink. Seedlings from Chionodoxas do not always come true to the parent, but may revert to one or other of its ancestors.

Muscaris are so numerous, and many resemble each other so closely, that it is needless to attempt to grow more than a selection. Few are prettier than the common M. botryoides, the Grape Hyacinth, which drew from Ruskin words of praise familiar to many. It is very beautiful, and its only fault is its rapid increase. Some of its varieties are prized by those who grow them. The larger of the two white varieties, known as album grandiflorum, and pallidum grandiflorum, with pale blue flowers, are both pretty.

M. racemosum, the Starch Grape Hyacinth, is also pretty, with its large spikes of deep-coloured flowers; there is a pink form, and a scarce white one is also met with. A fine Grape Hyacinth is M. conicum, with brilliant blue flowers in large racemes. M. Heldreichi is one of the earliest and best, with its long spike of blue flowers, each broadly margined with white. M. szovitzianum is a small, rather light-blue species of considerable beauty. M. armeniacum is a good little Grape Hyacinth. M. latifolium is very distinct, with its broad leaves.

M. comosum, the Tufted Hyacinth, is an interesting plant, but it is surpassed for the garden by the form monstrosum, which has curiously pretty frizzed blooms. It ought to be more grown.

The Musk Hyacinths are worth growing, if for nothing but their odour, although they are pretty as well. They are, however, not satisfactory everywhere, and often fail to bloom after the first season. They should have a warm, dry border, where the bulbs will ripen off well. Moschatum and macrocarpum are worthy of a trial at least.