Why arent my hyacinths growing more? They have been this way for at least 3 weeks now. I had planted these last fall, shouldnt they have been bigger and started flowering? I see hyacinths blooming in the shops so much - I wonder if mine will bloom. ( photo / image / picture from Tina's Garden )
Usually the hyacinths in stores are forced into bloom (greenhouses?, or brought in from warmer climates?) The hyacinths here (New England) bloom much earlier in the shops than they do in people's backyards. How warm is it in WA these days? Our hyacinths are not even up yet. Your hyacinths look great, peeping out of the soil they way they do! Very healthy. Full of promise.
Tina, they look normal to me. Although maybe a little dry. Don't water them to the point of drowning them, but they do like moisture. Your pots should have drain holes in the bottoms to alleviate the issue. Cayuga is correct that the bulbs at the florist and in the store are "forced" to bloom at a different time than those out in our gardens. The greenhouses store them in huge coolers after they are potted up and then they bring them back out after about 6 weeks( I think..., it's been a long time since I worked there) in cold storage, let them grow in a cool house and as soon as the bud is showing color, off they go to the retailer. Otherwise, most people wouldn't buy them since their own are blooming out in the garden.
Yep, very simple. I never had to actually do this job as I itched something fierce when I got near the bulbs. So, since I was allergic to the (fungicide?) dust on them, I didn't get much experience with them.
Carolyn, In another life, I would love to work at a nursery/greenhouse. While in undergraduate school I took an elective, Veg. Crops 101. I loved it! The lab entailed playing in the greenhouse, potting things up! Maybe when I retire.....
Cayuga M, it is a really hard job, especially if you have a slave labor boss. In the spring it was 14 hour days until the trucks were loaded for the next days deliveries, walk, walk, walk carrying multiple flats at a time. It was exhausting, actually. no over time for the long hours either since it was considered agricultural( that is absolutely ridiculous as most of the plants were not edible or mature to an edible form).
Carolyn--Sounds awful. Not what I have in mind at all. I have been picturing helping customers pick out perennials or shrubs for their gardens!
OK, can I add a hyacinth question here? I moved to TN last year from N/E Ohio, and my mother sent me 27 large "Red Rocket" hyacinth bulbs from Michigan Bulb Co. for my birthday last fall. They are all coming up nicely - but have bloomed a rosy pink, not red at all. Do I need a particular type of fertilizer to get them to bloom red? Mother has re-ordered them (company guarantee) but I wonder if they will come up pink again as well. Any info would be appreciated.
cindyfisch--I don't intend to cast aspersions on Michigan Bulb Co, but I think they are notorious for advertising pictures that are different colors than what actually grows in the garden. I have bought from MB Co several times and, while everything came up and was healthy, many of the plants had slightly different hues than what was advertised.
Cayuga Morning is soooo correct. Some of their pictures are so unrealistic it should be illegal to publish them. They are beautiful, though. it gives you reason to think you are doing something wrong and keep buying new plants because you have failed, but it is all about marketing. There is no way some of the colors they advertise or the groupings that they picture all flowering at the same time actually flower anytime close together. This is a page of many photos of the variety, but to me they don't look red. https://www.google.com/search?q=red+roc ... h&tbm=isch
Happy neighbor gets all my pink hyacinths now! Cauyga Morning and Carolyn: Thanks for the pointers, I looked at the link and theres a picture from "Dave's garden" or something like that which looks exactly like mine - bright pink, no where near red. Unfortunately, Pink is not my color and I have never kept a single pink flower in my yard - and these were a gift from my mother (27 of them in all - all supposedly red, because my mom knows I dislike pink). So, I'm giving all of these to my neighbor, and if the next bunch (they are resending this fall) still come up pink, the neighbor will get 27 more and I'll ask for them to send me a different color! I have never experienced a problem with plant colors from MB so that is why I was so surprised. I might just call them before the fall and ask for a different color... Thanks for all your feedback! (had they come up purple, I would have kept them!)
