Growing Hyacinths in a vase of water is a traditional method much loved by the Victorians.
Seeing the bulb roots through the glass looks beautiful & is intriguing, especially for children.
You can enjoy the fabulous, heady fragrance of the flowers indoors.
And perhaps best of all, it’s easy to do!

What you’ll need;

• 'Prepared' Hyacinth bulbs. ‘Prepared’ means the bulb has been exposed to cold in storage. These bulbs cost a little more but worth it as they’re ready to grow & flower early in the season, when you need it most.
• A glass vase or jar
• Water
• Gloves are recommended as Hyacinth bulbs can irritate skin & eyes

How to start your bulbs into growth
Step 1

• Fill your vase with water up to the neck of the vase. Then sit your Hyacinth bulb so it sits firmly in the bowl area at the top.
• The water level needs to be about ¼”/0.5cm below the bulb base. If the bulb touches the water, it’ll rot, so avoid this.
• If you have them handy, glass marbles or lozenges can be added (very gently) to the bottom of the vase. This helps keep the vase steady – the flowers & leaves can be heavy when fully grown.
• If you don’t have a classic Hyacinth vase, improvise with jars like this – it works!

  Did you ever read the classic children's book 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett? Well, if you did, you would recognise how we felt last October.
  The former plant nursery had been left for many years, becoming overgrown. The greenhouse & buildings were in a sad (partly dangerous) state. But there was clearly a garden underneath, with a few good plants soldiering on beneath the brambles & nettles. So we set to.
  My brother Richard worked hard in the early weeks to clear undergrowth from sheds. We were surprised & delighted to discover they could be renovated. He cleared a network of previously invisible but sound concrete paths too. A real asset in wet weather. Ken set to repairing the wood & glass in the old greenhouse so tender plants could be inside before cold frosts. And I planted bulbs & Sweet Williams so we would have flowers for the Spring of 2016 & organised the precious plants brought with us as best I could.
  The winter rain seemed to go on for ever. Frustratingly, preparing new plant beds was delayed.  On the plus side, it gave us time to build a website, install some deer fencing & come up with a plan to grow the business. After all, growing flowers is one thing & we were confident about doing that. But there's no use growing the most beautiful flowers in the world if there's no market or demand to buy them.
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Old nursery & greenhouse area October 2015
Pictures courtesy Richard Gray