Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Foreshadowing Spring

These are the dog days of winter. It's still pretty cold. It's March. We have 6 inches of crusty snow on the ground. Everyone is ready for spring-you know, anecdotally, speaking in our random idle chit-chat at the dentist office, neighbors, or wherever we may be.

But reality is, we are still oh maybe 4-6 weeks from real, warm spring. Or longer-for some depending upon where you live.

So usually about this time, I'll buy a little pot of bulbs. Daffodils, crocuses, tulips. But invariably it will include hyacinths. There will be sprouts and buds visible, then eventually they will spring into bloom. Such a nice refreshing sight in the doldrums of late winter.

Hyacinths are great because of their strong beautiful scent. I had them on the kitchen table, and I actually had to move them because the scent was overbearing and distracting during dinner.

I put them on the stairs by the front entracne and oh the fragrance every time I went up and down the stairs!!
Then when they are done blooming, just stop watering them. You can plunge them into your garden, about 4"-5" in depth. Then they will bloom the following spring.

They are best at the front of a border, because they are not very tall, and ideally you should put them somewhere like an oft-frequented walkway where you can enjoy their fragrance.

1 comments:

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

I LOVE Hyacinth. The fragrance keeps me from whining about the weather. Thanks for sharing :)