Forcing Hyacinths and Other Spring Bulbs in Antique Vases

Welcome to my site about antique hyacinth vases. For those new to the subject, they are vases which hold a hyacinth bulb above water so that the hyacinth can be grown indoors, or "forced" into flower, before its normal flowering time outside. If started early enough and if the bul

bs are properly prepared, the hyacinths can be forced into flower for Christmas. Hyacinth vases were first used in the Georgian period but became very popular in Victorian times. They have enjoyed variations in popularity ever since.

Right, hyacinths forced indoors in antique glass hyacinth vases.

my latest updates are now at my new site, Garden Withindoors

slowly but surely I'm moving the content from here to there

below, the first lot of hyacinth vases and pots out of the cellar on November 30th
above, second lot out of the cellar on December 5th with the previous week's on the windowsill looking much greener (they always look so blanched coming out of the cellar with no light)

30 November 2011
Shorter flower troughs out of the cellar

I find a hyacinth vase rarely needs topping up with water. The bulb acts as a plug and keeps the water from evaporating but these open troughs and other pots dry out so quickly they need regular watering which I find difficult when they're in the cellar so I've brought these out to babysit them more. Some certainly look like they are ready to come out of the dark, some look like they could do with more time for root growth but regardless I need them upstairs for regular watering.

28 November 2011

Finally photographed this Burmese glass hyacinth vase under UV light (pictured below on 13-11-2011 in natural light).

27 November 2011

Growing Acorns in Water

Last year I didn't have much luck with acorns. I even had difficulty finding any, although I did eventually in October. This year I wasn't even looking for any yet when I noticed some in Regents Park in September. I put them in the fridge immediately as after last year's failures I'd read that they need a cold period which I hadn't given mine. Recently I put the acorns in vases with water and back in the fridge. I was quite pleased to see roots on this acorn today (hope they are visible - they are quite small yet). I wasn't even sure which end went up so one acorn I put this way round and the other acorn in the other way (see below). Obviously this turned out to be the correct way up so I changed the other one.

I wasn't sure if I should put the acorn vases back in the fridge or leave them out but decided the fridge was the best environment as it actually got one of the acorns rooting.

Forcing Crocus Bulbs in Vases

The crocus bulbs have been very variable. The 14 vases on the right have very excellent root growth and prominent stems (I guess the 2 go together). The 5 in the middle have just the tiniest roots starting to grow but the 7 on the left have no roots at all. I've taken these all out of the fridge now as they've been there for 11 weeks.

Forcing Tulip Bulbs in Vases

25 November 2011

Unlike hyacinths which usually have excellent predictable results, these tulips are typical of the unpredictability of forcing tulip bulbs. They have been in the same environment for the same period of time and are from the same batch of bulbs yet one has lots of roots and the other none. Why? One of the mysteries of tulip bulbs.

Forcing Avalanche Narcissus

These are my first bulbs out of the cellar. Not sure if they are ready as this is only my second year of growing avalanche (and last year was a complete failure) but they have lots of roots and growth so I am taking a chance they are ready. The jonquils in the trough also look ready although they have not had much time in the cellar so I am also taking a chance with them. When there's that much green growth I think a plant has to come out of the dark.

Trough with a mixture of bulbs

This the problem with different varieties of bulbs in the same container. Some definitely need to come out of the dark but it's a bit early for the hyacinths. As this was a bit of a catch-all for the remaining bulbs, it's worth taking a chance and bringing it out of the cellar. It's also very difficult to water as I planted it too high and it's easier to water it on the windowsill rather than at the back of the cellar.

13 November 2011 Some Size Matters

I've seen this Burmese glass hyacinth vase (pictured right, far left) on the web but never in person so didn't realise how small it is. It won't hold the hyacinth bulbs I bought recently but I was choosing the largest bulbs I could find (they do come in a range of sizes). I did see some smaller bulbs at the garden centre but didn't foresee needing any. I looked in the cellar to see if I could transfer an already rooting bulb but they still seem a bit large and anyway it's very difficult to move a bulb with roots. The roots are brittle and break.

I also didn't realise how small the acorn vase is. I've seen lots of them on the web but didn't realise there were two sizes sold: 7 cm tall (pictured right) for acorns and I guess crocus could work and a 16.5 cm tall one for hyacinth bulbs.

7 November 2011 Forcing Amaryllis Bulbs in Water

It's about 7 weeks before Christmas when I'd like the amaryllis in bloom so I decided to start them now. They may only take 6 weeks but that's ok. It will be nice to have them in bloom a week before.

I didn't realize my bulbs were so differently sized until I got them out. The 3 on the left are grand diva and actually rather small. The 3 on the top and right are picotee and larger than the grand diva. The largest is the greener bulb at the front right. I forget the name but it's a pinkish flower. It's massive in comparison with the grand diva.

The brown papery covering on the bulbs was flaking off so I thought I'd remove the loose bits but before I knew it the bulbs were completely bare. I'm not sure what the effect of that will be but I will soon see.

In my experience all the dry roots currently on the bulbs will fall off to be replaced by fresh roots. Sometimes the amaryllis don't have much root growth at all but the flowers are still spectacular.

30 October 2011

status of the hyacinth bulbs at the end of week 7

Here is a selection of the bulbs that have been in the cellar for 7 weeks. The roots are well developed and now the flower spikes are emerging but I do note wide variations. The teal vase at the front has masses of roots but only the slightest sprouting at the top of the bulb whereas the green vase at the back on the right has some roots (not nearly as many) but a more developed flower spike. The green vase at the back on the left has no roots whatsoever. The clear vase on the left has a reasonable number of roots and a good flower spike. The blue vase on the right has the roots coming up as well as down. I tried to push them down but they are brittle and break. The blue vase in the middle at the back has good roots and the beginning of a sprouting of the flower spike. They all have the same conditions so the differences must be down to bulb quality and natural variations between bulbs.

Avalanche Narcissus

I had a complete failure forcing avalanche narcissus last year as I didn't give them time in the dark so I wanted to try again. I bought these mail order and they are not nearly as large as the bulbs I chose myself at the garden centre last year so rather disappointed. I wasn't exactly sure what they needed: time in the dark and cold or just time in the dark. I put the unplanted bulbs in the fridge 6 weeks ago as I didn't have time to plant them anyway. I took them out yesterday and put them on pebbles in these pots, filled them with water and back into the cellar. I assume they need good root development before they come out, maybe in 4 to 6 weeks? maybe less. I'll keep an eye on them.

Wooden Trough with Bulbs

I guess this is an example of what not to do and the unpredictability of bulbs. I filled this too high with compost so it is difficult to water. It's awkward to water pots in the cellar anyway so that wasn't well-planned. I took it out yesterday and tried poking some holes in the compost so it would be easier to water and gave it a good soak with the hose sprinkler then back into the cellar.

Some hyacinths spikes are poking out (as expected) but a crocus has shot up like mad. Why? none of the others have. Bulbs can be unpredicatable.

Narcissus Jonquilla

I wasn't sure if I should use compost or gravel in this trough with the jonquils as I haven't grown them before. I went with compost, watered it and into the cellar. I had a few spare bulbs so put them in the pot above. That pot didn't work very well last year when I tried to have the crocus grow up through the holes (not that it was meant to be used that way) but as these bulbs are already sprouting it was easy to position them in the holes so hope they will work this time. The centre hole is a good size for a hyacinth bulb.

27 October 2011

I couldn't resist buying a few more bulbs this week to put in my recently purchased vases (which I also couldn't resist buying). The garden centre still had prepared bulbs for sale. Most of the Jan Bos hyacinth bulbs had already sprouted. They shouldn't do that until they have good root growth so I didn't think those would be a good idea. I managed to find some Delft Blue and City of Haarlem that hadn't sprouted yet. I've never tried City of Haarlem so I look forward to seeing how they do. They are in the 1950s vases with the flower transfers at the back. I don't think they are "official" hyacinth vases but I thought their shape would hold a bulb well so I'm having a go.

I'm impressed with these large Delft Blue bulbs. I bought the same brand in a 3-pack and they didn't look good at all but the bulbs in the open boxes on display looked much better. Same with other brands. I guess bulb companies ensure those on display to choose yourself are better quality and more attractive than the multi-packs where you can't examine the bulbs fully and the mail order ones are worst of all.

The Shorter and Son trough has jonquils (narcissus jonquilla). I never noticed them before although I always look for the smallest bulbs to go in these troughs. These bulbs have all sprouted already so questionable whether they'll grow properly, but again, I'm going to have a go.

15 October 2011

Most of my hyacinth bulbs in vases have really good root development, a few examples are pictured left. The flower spikes are just starting out of the bulbs. The odd bulb (below left) is not doing very well. That bulb is one that didn't look very good when it arrived. The bulb below right has a mouldy growth on it but it doesn't seem to be affecting the roots. I think the mould is not helped by the environment. My cellar is a bit damp and right now it's quite warm.

I was intrigued by the statement in the bulb catalogue (below left) but when I asked the company for more information they were unable to tell me anything further.

Crocus Bulbs in Vases

The crocus bulbs are more variable than the hyacinths. Only about half of the crocus are rooting but some have great root development. (I hope the roots are visible here. It is difficult taking a pic in a fridge in a cellar without any natural light.)

18 September 2011

I was just rearranging some vases a couple days ago and was surprised to see roots on this bulb already (in only a week) and of this size. It's amazing how fast hyacinths grow.

Slowly but surely I'm getting all my bulbs ready and into the cellar but it's taking a long time. Every year I say I won't go so mad buying bulbs but I do anyway. I just can't resist them.

Finally got the hyacinths in pots and containers (shown a few rows below) planted up in bulb fibre and the tulips and crocus (following 3 rows) finished. I need some more bulb fibre to finish up the last few pots.

12 September 2011

Two possible problems I noticed when I was doing my bulbs recently are the split skins of the bulbs (right) and the discolouration (below). I need to research what these mean and see how they affect the flowering. The healthy looking bulbs on the left below are from one company and those discoloured ones on the right from another.

10 September

Forcing Crocus Bulbs

My plans for reorganizing this site are on hold as I'm too busy doing my bulbs. It's a little overwhelming at the moment with all the vases I have and all the bulbs I've ordered. I've gone a bit mad as usual.

My top priority was to get the crocus bulbs into the fridge as they need a cold period. This year I'm using Grand Maitre and I used a whole 25 bulb pack on my vases (below), some are "crocus vases" and some I have improvised. As far as I'm concerned if a vase will hold a bulb I will try it as a forcing vase. These will go into the fridge for six weeks now. By then they should have some roots developing and a stem emerging.

Forcing Hyacinth Bulbs

These are all my vases up from the cellar. Now I need to decide which bulbs to put in which vases. I'm just using 4 varieties this year: Delft Blue, Jan Bos, Carnegie and L'Innocence. I bought prepared bulbs so I don't need to put them in the fridge. They'll just go into the cellar with the vase filled with water to just below the bulb.

I've updated my lists of hyacinth varieties below after a visit to one more garden centre. I really must stop buying bulbs now! I am awaiting one more delivery. Two arrived this past week and one the week before.

When I put the bulbs in the vases I consider the best vase and flower colour combination. I also take off any bulblets, right. The bulb won't sit right in the vase with a large bulblet. Also, some of the bulbs energy will go to growing the bulblet rather than the flower.

29 August 2011

"Pure pleasure"

I went to a garden centre yesterday and added to my table below of the hyacinth bulbs that were available. Sadly they did not have Lady Derby which is one of the varieties I wanted to buy. I did buy more Delft Blue and Jan Bos, both the loose and packaged bulbs so I now have 6 different suppliers of these to try. I do wish I could try all varieties but sadly the cost - and the space required - are lacking.

I picked up the leaflet, right, published by the International Bloembollen Centrum/ International Flower Bulb Centre in Hillegom, NL. I will add the other pages as time permits. Their web site is bulbsonline.org but unfortunately this leaflet is not there.

The poster below (published by Kapiteyn as I recall) was displayed with the bulbs. I like it because it actually features growing hyacinths in vases.

27 August

ebay prices

I said in my ebay price guide that the lowest price I have seen for this modern Luminarc hyacinth vase is 10p. I need to revise that now. At a car boot sale recently a dealer was keen to clear his stock. I offered him 10p for this and he said "that's free" so I said "thank you very much". I am surprised at the prices being asked for these on ebay when really they aren't worth anything.

25 August 2011

Getting Ready to Start My Hyacinth Forcing for Christmas

These are my purchases since I packed up my bulb vases and put them in the cellar back in the spring (right). I just bought the 1950s vase with the green "sugar" rings at a boot fair. I love that it has the remnants of hyacinth roots in it. Someone grew a hyacinth in it at one time. I'm not sure if the teal vase on the right is a hyacinth vase but I'm going to try it this year.

I'm not sure what to do with the flower brick. I'm very tempted to try a crocus bulb on the large hole in the middle. Originally I think these just had cut flower stems put in the holes.

I also bought the amber vase (left) recently. It has more air bubbles in the glass than any other piece of glass I've ever seen.

On my Plans for 2011 page I said I wanted to keep in mind that I have about 50 hyacinth vases so shouldn't go too mad buying bulbs but after noting these purchases I don't think I have 50 vases anymore. I was still surprised though that after placing 4 orders I totalled up my purchases to 118 hyacinth bulbs! I didn't mean to buy quite so many. I wanted to compare 4 different suppliers so I bought Delft Blue and Jan Bos from all of them and L'Innocence and Carnegie from two of them.

Availability of Prepared Hyacinth Bulbs

I am still working on the tables below but I wanted to share what info I have so far. One thing that surprises me is the variation in prices with some suppliers charging twice as much for the same bulbs. A note on prices: I have used the smallest pack size, eg if they sell a pack of 3 and 10, I used the the pack of 3 price to calculate the price per bulb. If differing sizes are sold, eg "top-size", I used the largest. Delft Blue is the only prepared variety available from all the suppliers, followed by Jan Bos and Pink Pearl.

The varieties of prepared hyacinths are somewhat limited with 21 only, whereas there are 41 garden hyacinths for sale, probably more, I need to continue looking. Of course, one can prepare bulbs by putting them in the fridge for 6 weeks. I hope to add all varieties available in the UK. I am not including multiflora or doubles. I like the classic fat heads of single florets. If you have a supplier to recommend, please contact me (julie at hyacinthvases.org.uk).

16 July 2011

This is always a quiet time for gardening withindoors so I've been busy with my garden withoutdoors.

I did start to think about ordering my hyacinth bulbs and checked out some web sites. I think I'll try a few suppliers to compare the results. I notice the price of a Delft Blue prepared hyacinth bulb (which I think of as "the" bulb to use) varies from 57p to 93p each. And it's the only variety available from all 6 suppliers I'm comparing. Jan Bos/John Bos is available from 5 and Pink Pearl and Ann Mary/Ann Marie are both available from 4 suppliers. Of course there will also be prepared hyacinth bulbs in every garden centre in August onwards.

Postage varies from £3.99 to a whopping £10 per bulb order. Aside from Delft Blue there are 2 dozen different varieties of prepared bulbs readily available, plus other varieties one can prepare oneself.

Can a girl have too many cobalt blue Victorian hyacinth vases? I don't think so.

I couldn't resist buying this one (pictured right) recently.

I also couldn't resist these crocus vases, even though I'm accumulating more crocus vases than I can use (some will be ebayed soon). Unlike the cheaper crocus vases that have a coloured film that peels off, these are actually coloured glass.

Another recent purchase is the vase below left. It's very similar in size and shape to the cranberry one on the right. I'm not sure if they are Stuart although a dealer did tell me a very similar one she had was. Neither are marked although I understand Stuart didn't start marking pieces until 1927 (thank you friends on the glass message board for that info).