hyacinth seeds
Jane McGary (Sun, 01 Jun 2014 11:29:24 PDT)
Janet asked
I have dozens of seedpods on my hyacinths. I planted lots of blue
and white ones in containers in the garden and the flowers were
magnificent. It is easy to see which pods are blue and which are
white. Earlier today, I pressed one and the seeds are easily visible
and look ready to set. Does anyone have any advice? Janet Miller
If you want to plant the seeds, you can do so once the capsules
(pods) are starting to open on their own and the seeds are hard and
dark. However, it will take about four years to obtain flowering
plants, and they will probably not look much like those of the
commercial bulbs you apparently purchased. If you liked the results
from your Dutch bulbs, you would be better off just to buy some more.
They are select varieties grown and stored under carefully controlled
conditions to produce mass flowering their first year. Depending on
your climate and cultural conditions, flowering in future years may
decline in size, though the bulbs may also increase. Hyacinth bulbs
that have been grown in containers can be planted in the garden once
the foliage has withered, preferably somewhere that doesn't get much
water in summer.
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA