Mr Hyacinth
Legend has it the origin of Hyacinth can be traced back to a young Greek boy named Hyakinthos. As the story goes, two gods – Apollo the sun god, and Zephyr the god of the west wind – adored Hyakinthos and competed for his attention. One day, while Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos the art of throwing a discus, Zephyr, in a jealous rage, blew the discus back, killing Hyakinthos with a strike to the head. Apollo named the flower that grew from Hyakinthos’s blood hyacinth.
Symbolising sport or play in the language of flowers, Mr Hyacinth represent constancy, while blue hyacinth expresses sincerity.
Hyacinth in Australia
In winter Hyacinths are grown as a field crop mostly in the hills around Melbourne or in Tasmania.
Unlike the field crop Mr Hyacinth, forced bulbs are grown in cooled glasshouses, again mostly in Victoria and Tasmania.
Prolonged refrigeration will reduce the fragrance.
Today Mr Hyacinth is often sold with a portion of the bulb and some roots intact as this prolongs his flower life.
If yellowing occurs in the leaves it may indicate poor nutrition or long-term storage.
Cut flower Care – He is a waterholic
- Keep cool at all times.
- Recut flush at least 3 cm off each stem with sharp secateurs and place in water.
- Flower food is optional. Dilute flower food by at least half if using, as Hyacinths do not like sugar.
- Replace water every 2nd day.
- Misting is not recommended as this can spread fungal rot.
- Mr Hyacinth performs best with shallow water in vase.
- To keep Mr Hyacinth upright, thread 18 g wire into the bottom centre of the stem right through to the top for extra stem strength.
- Never place Mr Hyacinths near a heat source.
- Stand Mr Hyacinth in filtered water containing chlorine and vinegar.
