Plant Hyacinths For Spring Color And Fragrance

When choosing spring flowering bulbs hyacinths should always be included. Apart from their wide range of colors all the way from white to dark purple hyacinths produce a strong sweet fragrance which few other spring flowering bulbs possess. For some useful tips and recommendations of the best varieties read this article by Marianne Lipanovich which I found on the Houzz website.

The familiar Dutch hyacinth hybrids, derived from Hyacinthus orientalis, are known for their plump flower spikes filled with single or double blooms in shades of white, peach, yellow, orange, pink, salmon, red, blue, lavender and purple, as well as their sweet, strong fragrance that fills an early-spring garden.
Roman or French hyacinths (H. o. albulus) are less well-known but worth taking a look at; they are slightly smaller and bloom even earlier, with multiple stalks filled with white, pink or blue flowers. These are a good choice for warm-winter climates. And since both are easy to care for and relatively problem-free, you really can?t go wrong.

Peter Stuyvesant? hyacinth
When browsing bulb offerings, you may also run across grape hyacinth, or Muscari spp. While it?s similar to common hyacinth in both name and looks, it is not related.

Botanical name: Hyacinthus orientalis
Common name: Garden hyacinth, common hyacinth
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean for Dutch hybrids; southern France for Roman hyacinths
Bloom season: Late winter to spring
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone); best grown as an annual in regions with warmer winter climates
Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall and 4 to 9 inches wide
Water requirement: Regular while growing and blooming
Light requirement: Full sun; can handle partial shade
Bulb type: True bulb
Benefits and tolerances: Extremely fragrant and showy, with brightly colored masses of blooms. Flowers bloom on single or multiple stalks rising from the plants? bright green, strap-like leaves.
When to plant: In early fall in coldest regions; wait until late October or November in warm-winter regions. Keep bulbs cool or chill them until you plant. Choose the largest bulbs to get the largest ?exhibition? blooms.