Hyacinthus orientalis 'Aiolos'

'prepared' hyacinth bulbs

size: 5 bulbs

available

£0.00

CAUTION toxic if eaten/skin & eye irritant

add to wish list

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: any well-drained, moderately fertile soil (for container-grown bulbs use two parts John Innes No2 compost to one part sharp grit or bulb fibre)
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: January to March
• Flower colour: white
• Other features: all parts of the plant may cause a mild stomach upset if ingested; contact with the bulbs may cause skin irritation
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  'Prepared' hyacinths have been through a sequence of cold treatments, which triggers the growing process. This means they tend to flower much earlier than 'unprepared' hyacinths, and they are mainly grown as indoor plants, where their strongly scented flowers will fill your room with their sweet perfume. 'Aiolos' produces densely packed, cylindrical clusters of highly scented, ivory white flowers, which may be in flower as early as Christmas.
  
  
• Garden care:Using gloves plant bulbs close together (but not touching), into shallow bowls containing bulb fibre, so their tops are just above the surface of the compost. After potting up, they will need a cool, dark period, which will encourage root growth, so pop them into a black bin liner and leave in the shed or garage. Check them occasionally to make sure the compost does not get too dry, and water them when necessary. When the growing shoot is about 5cm tall, take it out of the bag and bring the pot inside to a cool room away from direct sunlight until the leaves turn green. Afterwards they can be moved closer to the window, but if possible keep them away from central heating radiators. After they have finished flowering they can be planted outside in the garden, where they will flower again (in March or April) the following year.
  
  These bulbs can also be grown in specialist bulb vases. Simply fill the vase with water up to its neck and then sit the bulb on top, making sure the base of the bulb is just above the water. Then treat it in the same way as the potted bulbs.