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 bulbs 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

13 May 2011

Anno Domini Antiques

As I was out and about today in Fulham and Chelsea I wanted to check out the latest hyacinth vases at Anno Domini at 66 Pimlico Rd. Considering most antique shops have no hyacinth vases (and don't even know what they are!) this selection is amazing. They range in price from about £50 to £175 for that unusual green pair in the middle. Ebay can be good but sometimes you want to see a vase in person and be able to buy it and take it home immediately without waiting for the auction to finish, delivery, etc so buying here is a great option.

Do let me know if you can recommend any other antique shops with hyacinth vases (julie at hyacinthvases.org.uk).

9 May 2011

Terracotta Hyacinth Vase

A very quiet time for indoor forcing - the bulb catalogues aren't even out yet - but still fun looking for pots and vases to buy. I was pleased to find this Victorian terracotta vase. I'd heard of hyacinth vases in terracotta and seen images of them in the old bulb catalogues and on ebay but had never seen one in person. One of the ones I'd seen on ebay is this same shape and has the same edging design along the top but the body is black and has a painted design on it. Until I looked at this pic on my pc I didn't notice how the edging doesn't match where it comes together, so obviously a transfer.

Uranium Crocus Vase

This crocus vase (below under UV light and right in normal light) is unusual. I'd never seen one in uranium glass before.

Yesterday I moved this web site from one host to another. If you notice any problems, eg missing images, please lmk, thanks.

29 March 2011

I have finally spotted a hyacinth vase on telly! I've never seen one on Antiques Roadshow or on the set of any period dramas even though I keenly look at all the furnishings. While watching a few minutes of Bargain Hunt yesterday I noticed this tall cobalt blue hyacinth vase. They didn't buy it or comment on it. I just saw it in the background.

25 March 2011 Tulips

These are the tulips from the "flower brick" (see Oct 2010, below). I left it outside during the winter (I guess I should have brought it inside at some point but I ran out of room) and by the time I checked on the tulips they hadn't rooted very well so I put them in this pot and left them outside for the rest of the winter and now they're blooming beautifully at the correct outdoor time.

I have updated the ebay page to ebay News to let potential buyers know of questionable descriptions, eg vases available retail described as "vintage".

22 March 2011

Bulbs are truly amazing. I just found this tulip in the compost pile. I had discarded it weeks ago as the bulb was shriveled and did not appear to be growing anymore. I think it was the one in the black glass truffle bottle (see the Forcing Other Bulbs page). Even though the roots are quite insignificant that tulip is determined to bloom.

While I had my vases out I thought I would update my vase list. I realized that most of the vases, being unique (to my collection), did not need a label on the bottom, I could record the info about what variety of hyacinth, dates, etc on the spreadsheet without needing to awkwardly write on the bottom of the vase. (That info was extremely useful). I do have 4 types of vase that are not unique: two clear 1950s, 3 Tye, 4 cobalt blue squat bulbous and 3 tall cobalt blue, pictured right, and will continue labelling them with a number, keeping the data in the spreadsheet.

19 March 2011 Hyacinths in the Garden

I have some beautiful hyacinths in the garden from previously forced bulbs. Some people say to throw the spent bulbs away but I think there's still life in them and worth planting. A lot of mine in the garden look better than the unforced garden hyacinths I planted last year. The picture right only shows a few but they are all over the garden so it's difficult to capture them all in 1 or 2 pics.

16 March 2011 more bulb forcing vases and containers

I can't resist buying more bits and pieces for my bulbs. I do like the Shorter and Son flower troughs but I am still trying to find the best bulbs to fit into them (the small crocus are nice but want other options). I didn't have a blue bird like the one below so I bought that recently. I am still trying to find the squirrel and rabbit troughs for a reasonable price. The rabbit below is not Shorter but I think he's very cute and can't wait to plant him up.

The vintage hyacinth vases left and below left I do not have dates for. I'm guessing the vases left with the flower transfers are 1940s but if anyone can correct me, please do. They are marked on the bottom "1628". The one below left I imagine is 1960s but again, if anyone has more definite info, please let me know. I had a similar one in orange-red.

10 March 2011 Windowbox

I banished this planter outdoors because of the fungus gnats. The cold weather killed them off but they don't seem to live outside anyway. The bulbs were dormant for a while but as the weather has warmed up they've come back to life and are now blooming at the right time outdoors, rather than being forced indoors. More of my "garden withoutdoors" images are at www.gardenwithindoors.org.uk.

4 March 2011 Acorn and Crocus Vases

Things are quiet now with bulb forcing indoors so my thoughts are turning to bulbs in the garden outdoors. The very small narcissus (9 cm tall), below, appeared in one of my pots a couple years ago (I lost track of what I had planted in that pot) and I planted it out in the garden. It's the ideal size to force in some of my containers but I don't know what kind it is. I was told by one supplier it was Tete-a-Tete but the Tete-a-Tete below are three times the size! Will ask some other suppliers as I would love more.

It's been so grey in London for so long my photos have been so dark and uninteresting I haven't wanted to post any but yesterday afternoon the sun came out (briefly!) so I grabbed my recent purchases (below) and put them on the front windowsill outside to take a photo, which isn't that bright but still better than the others.

The pink vase in the middle below (and left) I think is an acorn vase, art deco? It has a nice diamond design at the top which may not show up too well in the photos. The dark green on the right and with the two others below left are definitely crocus vases. The light green vase on the left I think may be for crocus or maybe just a vase but I am going to use it for crocus. It has an interesting mottled green colour on the base, see below, and a dome inside. I don't know why it has that - just for an interesting effect?

9 February 2011 Blue Jacket Hyacinths

I never noticed before how the colours can get more intense as the hyacinth flowers wilt and dry out, see below. I think this is because I've never grown Blue Jacket hyacinths before and it seems to be a characteristic of that variety. I don't know how well my camera has captured them, but these colours really are intense and beautiful. I find them more interesting than when this variety was in bloom. And the combination of blue and purple was unexpected from the purple and white blooms. Even the only partially opened flowers, right and next row down, look more interesting than the standard flower.

4 February 2011 Bulb Temperatures

I noticed something interesting the other day with the Blue Jacket hyacinths, although most didn't do very well, those 3 on the right actually bloomed properly, had a great scent and were looking pretty good. Some of the vases I'd moved around but those 3 have been in that position since they came up from the cellar and this pic shows clearly how they are not above the radiator like some of the failures. It's actually quite cool next to the door there so maybe I've been "cooking" the others and this variety is sensitive to that. It is remarkable how these 3 have bloomed beautifully in contrast to the others.

30 January 2011, photo right

I can't stop taking photos of the narcissus. They are looking better every day and so bright and cheerful when the weather is so miserable - grey and cold.

29 January, photo below

The narcissus Tete-a-tete are blooming this week - good timing as the hyacinths are just finishing. These final hyacinths are Blue Jacket which have been variable. The ones on the right above look okay but the ones on the left above aren't really blooming properly.

A few days ago I was saying how the Blue Jacket hyacinth is a good height for the Menu vase (tall clear vase second from right) but it's now grown right out of the vase like the Delft Blue hyacinth I had in it last year. I will have to try an even shorter variety next year (Woodstock?) as that vase looks best with the hyacinth bloom within the vase.

I added a few images to the More Pics and Info page, especially cobalt blue vases. After the hyacinths have finished flowering and I've cleaned the vases it's a good time to review my collection. I see the cobalt blue ones are the majority. It's such a beautiful colour - the classic Victorian hyacinth vase.

31 January 2011 Blue Jacket Hyacinths

This is slightly out of order but I wanted to insert the image, right, of the Blue Jacket hyacinths from three days after the image below. It's amazing how much they've grown in just three days.

Congratulations to Kate and William

I wanted to share my love of hyacinth vases with Kate Middleton and Prince William so I have sent them an engagement present of a pair of vases for their new home. Best wishes to them.

Comparison of Vase Sizes

There's nothing like seeing the various size vases together to see how different they are. It can be misleading to see some crocus vases in isolation on ebay where some sellers still call them "hyacinth vases". The 9 crocus vases on the left, below, are about 10 cm tall - much smaller than the hyacinth vases on the right, below, which are 14 to 19 cm high. The 4 vases in the middle are not official bulb vases but are a good size to use for tulip bulbs.

Lady Derby and Deflt Blue Hyacinths, right

comparison of vase sizes, below

12 January Cleaning Vases

After resolving my insect problem yesterday, thanks to the RHS, (see my FAQs page for more info), I must now tackle my water stained cloudy vases. I have 5 that need serious attention, the 4 pictured right and another that still has a hyacinth in it. The blue pair and small green vase are so badly affected they are practically opaque on their lower halves. I read that Cillit Bang is good for this so I left one half full with it overnight but it had no effect. I've tried all the usual now: denture tablets, eggshells and vinegar, etc but no success. I'm going to try polishing next. Must find the Dremel this weekend.

I have updated a few other things on the FAQs as well so have a look if you haven't recently. And do ask questions if you need any help or advice on vases or bulb forcing. If I don't know I will try to find out!

7 January

These huge fat heavy flower heads of Delt Blue hyacinths with an intoxicating scent really are the quintessential hyacinth. The two on the right are slightly smaller but the four on the left are huge and tightly packed with florets. The only problem is how top heavy they are. What to do? I've been cheating by leaning them against a mirror or window but I would like to find a solution to their support. I bought some garden wire (2mm thick) and tried to fashion a support (see 4th hyacinth from the left) but it hasn't worked very well. I will try again. The DIY shop had 3mm wire as well. I may try that as well but it will be much harder to shape.

5 January

Left is my first tulip forced in water in bloom. It is incredibly tall. I have no idea if that's the normal height for this variety but I will check.

I'm already thinking of what I want to do next year with my bulb forcing and have added a page with my plans so far ( Plans for 2011) based on what has and has not worked so far this year.

28 December 2010

The Delft Blue hyacinths below have gone from buds to full bloom in just four days (see pic below that one from Dec 24th). Their smell is intoxicating. Definitely a better performer than Atlantic. Another hyacinth with excellent fragrance is Lady Derby (pale pink right). I hadn't tried it before but I am pleased with it this year. It's in a vase I thought might be a Tye one (compare it with the genuine one far right) After I bought it and examined the base I saw that it was not but they are extremely similar with the same narrow rim and almost the same size and shape. I guess Mr Tye had plenty of imitators.

Crocus in bloom for Christmas

Below left is my first crocus grown in water in bloom on Dec 14th. Below right are some more crocus in flower 10 days later on December 24th. The purple ones bloomed first. Right is my first white crocus in bloom on Boxing Day, December 26th.

11 December 2010

On this page see my latest hyacinth vase images. My latest images of other bulbs, including crocus and tulips are at the Forcing Other Bulbs page.

After doing some more research I think I'm using the crocus bowl (right) incorrectly. I think the bulbs should sit on the top. I didn't change them as they are so well-established but next year I will try them on top. They are my largest crocus at the moment, although not the first in bloom. See the others at the Forcing Other Bulbs page.

I did not manage to put the paper cones on any bulbs on December 1st and it's so late now and I have so many bulbs doing so well it's a little irrelevant now but I did want to see how well it worked. I will attempt to try it next year.

28 November 2010

After not checking my bulbs for a few weeks I was surprised yesterday to see a number of them ready to come out of the cellar. With my labels I was able to see which varieties are doing so well. The 10 vases on the left and the pot are L'Innocence. The 6 on the right are Atlantic which I hadn't tried before - I'm impressed they're so early. If the colour and scent are nice then these are a good variety for Christmas.

Hyacinth Bulblets

I noticed that this bulb had some bulblets growing out of it which I assume will take some of the energy from the bulb's production of the main flower spike so I broke them off. I had to break off a few when I started the bulbs in September both to focus the bulb's energy and so that the bulbs would sit properly in the vase. I've stuck these bulblets in a pot but I've never had any luck with them in the past. Perhaps I'm not treating them properly - will research them further.

Mary Gregory style hyacinth vase, above left and painted hyacinth vase, above right.

As I'm sure some of you have found, even the best intentions not to buy any more vases result in impulse purchases! These two started off as very similar in size, shape and colour but have been painted quite differently and the one on the left has had clear trailing applied around the base, rather unevenly so it doesn't stand on all legs.

The Eighteenth Century Mania for Hyacinths by Patricia Ferguson

Although I'd seen a few mentions of this article, I could not find it online and was of course keen to read it. Fortunately Antiques Magazine was able to sell me a back issue even though it was from June 1997. I reproduce it here if anyone else would like to read it. I no longer have a working scanner so please excuse the images which could be better but I hope the article is still legible.

(I notice a Wedgwood reproduction of one of the vases pictured (p. 7) is listed now on ebay.)

25 October 2010

I saw forced hyacinths in pots for sale at a florist a few days ago. I've never seen them so early. They were £30 for four in a fancy container (at a fancy florist). I saw some again yesterday in plain plastic pots for only 95p. There's a difference between "forcing" bulbs and taking it to ridiculous extremes. I personally don't want hyacinths in bloom the end of October.

24 October 2010

I went to Portobello Rd last weekend to see what hyacinth vases were for sale. I didn't really need another cobalt blue squat hyacinth vase but the colour was so exquisite I couldn't resist. And for £20 I didn't think it was a bad buy, especially as it doesn't have any of the common chips or flea bites on the rim and in comparison with some of the expensive vases on ebay recently it was quite reasonable. Unfortunately my camera is not capturing it but the purple blue colour is just magic. If anyone has achieved good photography results capturing the colour of cobalt glass, please let me know how you did it!

mid-October 2010

I was pleased to find this reproduction hyacinth vase (right, middle) for sale at the Scandinavian Interiors web site. It compares favourably with the vintage vases on either side whose shape inspired it. Below right it's shown second from left with some vintage cobalt blue hyacinth vases. Scandinavian Interiors also sells crocus vases in the same shape, both hyacinth and crocus sizes available in two shades of blue, clear and dark pink.

The photo right also shows how well-established the Pink Pearl hyacinth is in the blue vase. Unfortunately the L'Innocence bulb in the green vase is not.

I had a few more bulbs left to plant so when I was moving some bricks the builders left on the patio and saw one was "perforated" I immediately thought of giving new meaning to the term "flower brick" (well I sure can't afford a Delft one!). I replanted the Sainsburys bulb crate from last year with my last few tete-a-tete daffodils.

I saw a larger version of the amaryllis vase (below) last year but the garden centre said they didn't have any more. I've been thinking about it all year hoping I could find one as I've never seen anything like it anywhere else. I went back last week hoping they'd have new stock but they only had a few smaller versions left and I bought the one below. The larger one that was on display last year growing an amaryllis was water stained and scratched so I didn't buy it. I'm not sure this one is large enough but I'm going to have a go. I noticed more crocus bulbs in the fridge rooting so quickly got more vases to grow them in (below right).

4-10-2010 Forcing Crocus Bulbs in Water

Any regular readers of this web site will know I have been skeptical about crocus bulbs rooting in water so you can imagine my surprise to find two (maybe three) of my crocus bulbs in forcing vases rooting. The bulb in the blue vase is doing really well (difficult to see the roots but they are there). The one in the vase to the right below is just starting, see close-up left. I think the one in the tallest vase just has a tiny root starting. They have been in a fridge since August 18th so that's 8 weeks. I don't know why some are rooting and others not. I do see the water level looks a little low so I've topped them up and put them back in the fridge. Generally you mustn't put the water so high as to touch the bulbs but I'm wondering if crocus need to be wetter than hyacinths. Hyacinths are so great for forcing because they are so forgiving of their conditions and just keep going once they start. Crocus are obviously more temperamental.

ebay UK Price Guide

I have finally started my ebay Price Guide. It is a work in progress as I still have over 50 vase details to add so please bear with me. Vase prices are all over the place so I think it's useful to know how much vases sold for in the past, although there are some ludicrously high prices and some very low prices so it's difficult to say definitively what a vase is worth.

Right is one of the last hyacinth vases I bought on ebay. I've never seen one like it. It's enormous at the bottom but just the right size cup for the hyacinth bulb. It has an "ice" finish to the glass. I've just found another like it labelled "Sea of Sweden Handmade".

I saw a Huntley and Palmers biscuit tin like that below at the Alexandra Palace antiques fair recently. It has hyacinths in full bloom indoors while there is a thick blanket of snow outdoors. It's from the 1930s. That was obviously a time when hyacinth forcing was very popular in the UK.

September 2010

How exciting! My bulbs arrived on September 8th and I started them immediately. I decided to try all Bloms prepared hyacinths so I ordered Atlantic and Blue Jacket this year which I hadn't tried before, in addition to my favourites Delft Blue and L'Innocence. I just had to get Pink Pearl as it's been my earliest best performer even though pink is not my favourite colour. You can still buy prepared bulbs at the garden centre even if you didn't order from a specialist supplier.

3. This year I decided to label each vase with which variety of hyacinth bulb I used and spaces for dates of when it was put into the cellar, when I brought it out into the light and when it was in full bloom. It may sound a little obsessive but I love my hyacinth forcing! and I want to try to improve my results every year.

Below are some of the labels filled in so far.

4. I filled the vases with water, as high as possible without touching the bulbs, and put them in the cellar. I didn't use these Stewart plastic hyacinth vases (pic below) last year but this year I thought I'd use them again. They were some of the first new vases I bought in the 1980s when hyacinth vases started to be produced again. The lids which hold the bulb are removable. They always worked really well, I think because the bulb has some ventilation.

August 2010

I couldn't resist buying these enormous hyacinth bulbs I saw at the garden centre. They're Lady Derby. I hadn't seen them before but they're bigger than any other hyacinths I've ever seen so I just had to get them. I also saw a purple variety, Viking, which I'd never seen before so I'm trying that as well. Neither are prepared so I've put them in the fridge for 6 weeks. I'm trying tulips in water for the first time and chose these early ones, just from Sainsburys. These Narcissus Avalanche are also the biggest paperwhites I've ever seen so bought those (see Forcing Other Bulbs for more info)