Blogs

This is the busiest time of the bulb forcing year. It's the peak time for hyacinths started in September to bloom. Some early ones bloomed in December (they are now wilting and need to be disposed of and their vases washed and put away). Everything needs watering and I have masses of data to collect: dates, photos  and notes including on how they all compare. For example, below are all my Delft Blue hyacinths that are upstairs (a few are still in the cellar), arranged by supplier (I will add details - and the 30 plus photos I took this week!).

I have posted some reader photos in the Forum. If you'd like to share some photos and/or comments, please post something in the Forum.

Being a bit warmer today I had the back door open and a bee flew in and seemed to be enjoying the hyacinth flowers.

After that first batch of Jan Bos hyacinths in bloom, I have Carnegie and Delft Blue blooming. They have scent! unlike the Jan Bos which seemed to have no scent at all. I definitely won't be doing those again next year.

Delft Blue hyacinths, above and below.

Above are my next buds and blooms after the Jan Bos below which are by far my earliest blooms. In fact, some are already past their prime a week before Christmas. The scent is practically non-existent so I'm somewhat disappointed.

Below are a few of my next vases out of the cellar. The pair of vases on the right are not "official" hyacinth vases but I thought that because of their shape they could hold bulbs above water and they do.

I thought it was a bit early for the hyacinths when I took this trough out of the cellar but the tall plants (muscari, I think) were getting "leggy" and needed to come out so thought I'd take a chance. The hyacinths are a little stunted so far.

When I checked the supplier of these rather stunted bulbs I was sure they'd all be from the same one but they are from 4 different ones! Obviously Jan Bos is not the best for forcing, or not so far. Maybe they'll have a miraculous change but at the moment they aren't looking very impressive.

These are all my tulips in vases, well-rooted, even the one in one of the red vases that until recently didn't have any roots, except the one in the Burmese vase which I put in quite late, just starting some roots.

I love using different containers and vases to grow bulbs. A tulip bulb is in the tall clear ink bottle, muscari in the small bucket, a crocus in the painted blue vase and of course, a hyacinth in the tin.

Some of my blue vases and my one Bristol green vase, a rare colour.

I've brought quite a few vases out of the cellar now but a few bulbs are still there without any root growth. I was wondering what was happening with them. When I checked this one I saw some quite developed bulblets raising the bulb right out of the vase. Not sure if that's why it doesn't have any roots but it sure isn't right above the water any more.

These crocus are doing great with super root growth (but there are quite a few in the cellar with nothing).

These iris are my first bulbs in bloom. I'm impressed that all the bulbs in this set are growing. Some troughs have bulbs that aren't growing (will add a pic tomorrow).

The squirrel trough has 4 bulbs, 3 of which have not rooted at all. The trough behind that has 2 out of 8 bulbs not growing.