Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Hyacinth Flower - Planting, Care and Mythology

Photo Source: sgbrown aka Rockcreek Photography


Hyacinth flowers must be one of the easiest flowers to plant and care for. They grow from bulbs and are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. They are known for their beautiful spring colors of white, pink, blue, purple and almost every shade in between!  Not only are they beautiful bloomers, but they have a wonderful sweet smell!

Hyacinth are hardy in zones 4 through 9. Plant you hyacinth bulbs in fall, at least 2 to 4 weeks before a hard freeze, giving the roots a little time to take hold. They grow well in almost any well drained, loamy soil. Plant in an area with full sun to partial shade. Planting hyacinth bulbs is as easy as digging a hole about 6 inches deep and placing the bulb with the pointy end up. For best results, you may want to add a bit of compost or bone meal. Cover with soil, pack lightly and water thoroughly. 

Caring for your hyacinth is just as simple and easy. Once planted, water thoroughly one time. If you have a very dry fall season, you may want to water one more time. Once the flowers blooms fade, you can cut back the stalks, but leave the leaves alone until they begin to turn yellow or brown. At that time you can simply give them a gentle tug and they should come off. The plant needs to leaves to help store energy in the bulbs for the next spring. 

Hyacinth flowers are said to represent sports, play and sincerity. In Greek mythology, it is said that the Greek God, Apollo, was teaching a young man by the name of Hyakinthos how to throw a discus. Apollo’s friend, Zephyr, who was the God of the west wind, became jealous and he caused the wind to blow the discus back at Zephyr, hitting him in the head and killing him. The next spring a flower grew where Hyakinthos had bled on the ground and Apollo named the flower after his young friend.

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Get this beautiful hyacinth on a post card to send to your friends and family to say "Happy Spring" at my Zazzle store!