Bloomin' Lovely!

hyacinth flower bulb, originally uploaded by shisuka25.

I'm quite positively certain there is nothing nicer in the whole wide world than a house full of fresh flowers! Iv'e always been quite lucky to have access directly to growers and have filled my house accordingly with lot's of good stuff, but now we are moving and I am uncertain about what the fresh flower situation in Ballarat is like. So in order to cover myself in the event that no flower wholesalers can be found, I have prepared some Hyacinth bulbs to grow in water and indoors!

Growing Hyacinths in water is a really fun and easy way to produce some stunning 'living' arrangements and all you need are your bulbs, vessels and pebbles.

Find a suitable container. A narrow-necked vase with a broad base is ideal but you can use anything from jam jars to fish bowls. Just remember that as your plant grows it will become increasingly top heavy so your container needs to either have a wide flat base or be heavy enough not to fall over when the flower blooms.

If your container is too wide for the bulb you will need to 2/3 fill it with pebbles.

Fill the container up to the neck with water, or 1cm below the pebble line.

Place the bulb on the container or on top of the pebbles, do not let your bulb become wet or it will rot!.

Now place your plant in a very dark, cold spot. This will encourage the bulb to shoot roots (I'm keeping mine outside under the BBQ hood!).

Gradually shift the container to a brighter place like a window sill or bright room once there is strong root growth in place and the bulb has begun to bud. From this point, the bulb will continue to grow into a complete hyacinth plant.

Remember to turn your Hyacinth plant daily so that it grows straight and keep the water level constant.

If you're going to give this a try, I would love to see lot's of pictures!