I think it's past its best...

[oldmoleskins]

I found this today, hidden behind a stack of polystyrene insulation sheets, leaning against a wall: the xmas hyacinths:



OM

[prodigal gardener]

Bet they were lovely too

[Weeterrier]

Will you plant them out for next year Moley?

[oldmoleskins]

Mar 10, 2008 19:15:33 GMT Weeterrier said:

Will you plant them out for next year Moley?

They're the sort of thing I put in the shed or GH and forget WT, so the short answer's 'yes' and the truth less honourable... come to think of it, I don't actually know what you do with hyacinths to keep them/bulk them up/recycle them.

Any tips, anyone?

OM.

[Amo]

I alway just plonk mine in the boarder somewhere. At the moment have several out in the garden from previous 'indoor' buys. The scent wafts past the door and is lovely. Just put them somewhere where they will be a nice surprise next year. They do come out later (nowish) and the heads are not as tight but the scent.....

[Missredhead]

Yes I've also got some in the garden that were 'indoor' gifts, as soon as they were finished I plonked them in the garden, They have all come up this year.

[Tig]

I have quite a pleasant garden collection too, yellow, pink, pale and deep blues and they multiply over time ;D

[Chuckles]

made me realise mine have been in the GH since the flowers went over. What if I don't want to put them in the garden, how should they be kept for having in the house again next year.

[Missredhead]

I have no idea Chuckles..
I wonder if you can do that.
Somebody else will know, I'm sure

[JennyWrenn]

I've got lots of this sort of thing in my garage - shameful isnt it - the poor plants

[Missredhead]

Slapped wrists Jenny.

[Plocket]

I just bung mine in the ground OM and although they come up later in the spring and not quite as plump as when first grown, they still give nice colour and scent to the garden.

[Missredhead]

I love the smell of hyacinths.....

[Plocket]

Mmmmmmm me too! One of my BILs loathes the smell - he has to leave the room!!!

[Missredhead]

Good way to get rid of him I suppose ;D

Don't mean it really

[Plocket]

I think it did the trick MRH - he lives in New Zealand now! ;D

[Missredhead]

Oh dear ;D ;D

[Plocket]

Mmmmmmmm!

[prodigal gardener]

My Dad dont like the smell either, but i dont think he'd go that far ! I kept a couple just dry in a pot (by accident : on the bottom shelf in my greenhouse one year and put them in the garden in the autumn (when I found them all brown and shrivelled up!) They are just getting ready to flower again ! ;D

[oldmoleskins]

well, I reckon all told we must have a dozen or so lying around 'spent' or going that way... so, a sheltered spot outside it is then...

OM.

[Shrubrose]

I was wondering that too OM. I'm waiting for the leaves to go over and then was going to store them in the potting shed in a basket and pot 'em up again for Christmas this year.

[oldmoleskins]

Mar 11, 2008 18:06:44 GMT Shrubrose said:

I was wondering that too OM. I'm waiting for the leaves to go over and then was going to store them in the potting shed in a basket and pot 'em up again for Christmas this year.

Maybe you could plunge them in soil to plump them up outside and then bring them in a few weeks before, a sort of 'forcing'? Using the 'don't cut the leaves off a daff' thing, they won't have much time or opportunity to restore flowering vigour if they go straight from pot to shed, even if the leaves have gone over, will they? Dunno, really - I'm a serial xmas hyacinth killer.

OM.

[Shrubrose]

Hm interesting OM. I thought that letting the leaves 'go over' might be enough to restore any nutrients? A pound to a penny if I stick 'em in the ground I'll forget where I put 'em ;D Wonder if I put 'em in fresh compost they'd bulk up. What do you reckon you XH killer? ;D

[oldmoleskins]

What about planting them in soil, in a pot, and plunging that in the ground? That way they stand a chance of 'naturalising' as if they would flower in the spring, but you can force them (maybe) by lifting the pot a few weeks before xmas and bringing it into a warm environment?

OM.

[Shrubrose]

Now there's an idea! Might just do that OM, thankyou!

[Amo]

I think, but don't yell at me about this, that to get the early forcing bulbs for Christmas they do something drastic with cold for a few weeks. I suppose it's kidding them into thinking they've had winter and need to flower.

I'll try and take a photo of my ones just plonked from the past couple of years. Believe me, they've been abused too!

[Amo]

Right...

Four pink, three white and a pale yellow.



A pink with brugmansia and poly.



And a group in a beautiful blue. I was surprised when these came up. I'd forgotten all about them when OH built the planter behind them!!



All Christmas' 2005 and 2006. 2007 are planted but just the leaves are left now. You can see the heads are nowhere near as tight as when they are fresh and forced but the scent is still lovely and wafts around.

[Rosefriend]

Amo's post brought this back to me.

My neighbour hardly knows a Crocus from a daffodil - bit exaggerated...not much though. Anyway he decided to put some crocuses in the freezer to see if he could get them to flower at the wrong time - well it worked.

Obviously the cold plays an important part.

RF

[Missredhead]

Just so long as you label them RF...wouldn't want to them to end up in a stew or casserole by mistake

[Rosefriend]

Especially Narcissus bulbs - there could be people having rather bad nightmares - if not worse.

RF