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Hyacinth Bulbs The Dutch Hyacinth is an old-fashioned favourite, beloved not only in the garden, but for brightening a window sill when 'forced' in a Hyacinth vase. These are the densely clustered stems of bloom which come in white, pink, various blues, and now apricot! Forcing a Hyacinth indoors is quite easy. Simply place the bulb in the top of the Hyacinth vase and fill with water up to about 1/4" below the bottom of the bulb.

Store in a cool, dark area 12-13 weeks, keeping the water level just below the bulb. By this point you should have a couple of inches of growth coming up from the bulb and a well-developed root system extending to the bottom of the jar. Then, bring your hyacinth into an area of intermediate light and room temperature for 3-4 days. The next step is to place the bulb in a sunny, warm place. Window sills are excellent and a grouping of blooming hyacinths is prettier than any artwork money can buy. You'll enjoy the sweet scent, too. When bloom is completed, bulbs should be discarded - they will not repeat. This is an excellent project for children. Not only does it teach patience but it's also a bit of a history lesson in the way our Victorian great-great grandmothers beautified their parlours.

Two other wonderful Hyacinths for outdoor colour are Wood Hyacinths and Grape Hyacinths. Wood Hyacinths feature loosely clustered bells of blue, pink, or white which naturalize excellently and are a breathtaking contrast with yellow Daffodils. Grape Hyacinths are the smallest member of the family, featuring a spike of concord grape-like flowers of deep blue. They have a sweet smell and are one of the first things to bloom in the garden. All Hyacinths should be planted in fall, about twice as deep as the bulb is wide. They seem to do best in part shade to part sun and require no care after planting. Spring would not be spring without Hyacinths!