Hyacinth is one of my favorite spring bulbous flowers. For several years now, I have traditionally planted several hyacinth bulbs for early spring forcing. For all the time of a close acquaintance with this flower, I came across both successful and not particularly successful varieties. In this article, I would like to introduce readers to those varieties of hyacinth that most will certainly like. They are really worth growing on a windowsill or in a garden.
9 most beautiful hyacinth varieties I’ve grown
Terry hyacinths deserve special attention. First, they look more spectacular than conventional varieties with one row of petals. Secondly, they bloom longer, and, thirdly, they have a denser, rich “fluffy” ear. In my practice, I have tried several varieties of terry hyacinths, two of which have become my favorites.
1. Hyacinth “General color”
Hyacinth “General Color” (General Kohler) – the most delicate terry hyacinth. The flowers are azure in color with light shades of purple and blue in the center and around the periphery of the flower. Due to the flickering of the petals, due to their special structure in the bright sun, it seems that the hyacinth is made of ice.
Hyacinth (General Kohler). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Jacques Amand
Although not every hyacinth can boast a scent without specific notes that not everyone likes, this blue hyacinth has an exceptionally delicate and certainly pleasant scent. The height of the plant is 15-30 centimeters, the height of the peduncle with the inflorescence is 15-22 centimeters.
The spike is not too dense, but the flowers are very large and slightly resemble scaffolds or double bells. General Kohler hyacinth goes well with white varieties or white tulips.
2. Hyacinth “Crystal Palace”
Hyacinth “Crystal Palace” (Crystal Palace) – saturated, rich, terry. The name of the variety is translated as “crystal palace”. In the description of this hyacinth, its petals are listed as dark blue, but in fact they have a more complex color. In particular, they have an expressive dark blue stripe in the center of each petal, which is framed by lighter bluish areas. Thanks to this, the inflorescence really seems to be made of pieces of ice playing in the sun.
Hyacinthus ‘Crystal Palace’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Karl Gercens
Depending on the light, the inflorescence may appear bluer or more purple. In good lighting conditions, the contrast stripe becomes especially noticeable. Dark stems bearing inflorescences are also effective. The ear of these hyacinths is very dense, as if from a picture. Flowers that are just starting to fade do not look lethargic, but only change their tone to a deeper purple. The spike height is up to 20 centimeters.
Read also our article Secrets to Successfully Forcing Hyacinths at Home.
3. Gyacint «Gypsy Queen»
Giacint «Gypsy Queen» (Gipsy Queen) – non-double, but this is the best “orange” hyacinth. Some growers of planting material depict Gypsy Queen hyacinth and other varieties of a similar color range as true orange with deep apricot petals.
Hyacinthus ‘Gipsy Queen’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com DutchGrown
In fact, orange hyacinths, as we most often imagine orange in color, do not exist. Such images are either the result of well-caught lighting, or the fruit of the use of photo editing programs. And yet the most striking among all the few varieties of “orange” hyacinths is the “Gypsy Queen”.
The color of its petals can rather be described as salmon, while its petals are also not monochromatic and combine the play of salmon shades from darker to almost white. At the same time, he also has yellowish (at the base of the flower) and pinkish colors.
Also of interest are unusual petals, which are not as wide as in most varieties, but are slightly narrowed and often slightly curled. This makes the inflorescence charmingly curly. Other varieties of orange hyacinths: Fairlight, Apricot Passion, Orange Top in my conditions proved to be less bright.
4. Hyacinth “Bestseller”
Hyacinth “Bestseller” (Bestsellers) Is the most lush-flowering variety of non-double hyacinths. This cultivar is also classified as “orange”, and its petals shine bright orange in many images. But I would still classify it as a pink variety, since even its salmon shade is not very pronounced.
Hyacinthus ‘Bestseller’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
The flowers of this hyacinth are very light, pale pink, but the inconsistency of shade in conditions of early spring forcing does not detract from the dignity of this variety. This hyacinth has an incredibly dense and wide spike, consisting of a huge number of large flowers with wide petals. Thanks to this, such a hyacinth blooms much longer than varieties with less lush inflorescences.
In general, this cultivar received the victorious name “Bestseller” deservedly and for good reason. The aroma of flowers is peculiar, but weak and unobtrusive.
5. Yellowstone Hyacinth
Hyacinth “Yellowstone” (Yellowstone) Is the best yellow hyacinth. With yellow hyacinths, the situation is similar to the “orange” one. Bright pictures often promise us true yellow tones, but yellow hyacinths, like a sunflower, do not exist at the moment either.
Hyacinthus ‘Yellowstone’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
In fact, when growing yellow varieties, you can see very pale colors, most often lime-yellow (“Gypsy Princess”, City of Haarlem) or shades of ivory (Jellow Quinn, Yellow Hammer). And the most yellow, as much as possible for a hyacinth, proved to be the variety “Yellowstone”.
Its petals can be described as lemon, and under certain lighting conditions it looks truly yellow. Moreover, the most intensely colored is the central part of the flower. The ear of the variety is rather thick and high, 15-20 centimeters. The aroma is very faint, but quite distinctive and not too similar to the typical hyacinth.
Another variety of yellow hyacinth Jellow Quinn (although it has a conditionally “yellow” color) can also be called very worthy due to its powerful and very dense ear. And sometimes double flowers can bloom on it.
Read also our article Where to plant spring bulbs? 5 correct decisions.
6. Giacint Woodstock
Giacint «Woodstock» (Woodstock) Is a lilac-like flower. Most often, hyacinths are blue-purple in color or white petals. Yellow and orange hyacinths can also often be found on sale, as such curiosities are in great demand. But you can not immediately pay attention to lilac hyacinths.
Hyacinth ‘Woodstock’ (Hyacinthus ‘Woodstock’). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
The Woodstock hyacinth has a very deep lilac-burgundy color, the flowers are very large, the petals are wide and evenly colored. A thin, slightly lighter border runs along the edge of each petal. And such inflorescences really make it look like Persian lilac.
The aroma is very pleasant and sweet. The color intensity of its bright saturated petals does not change at all depending on the level of illumination. And the flowers always look bright beetroot, even with a lack of light.
7. Hyacinth “Anna Lisa”
Hyacinth “Anna Lisa” (Anna Liza) – amazing “black-eyed” hyacinth. On the net and on packages with bulbs, you can most often see an image of this variety with dark pink stripes on the petals, bordered by a pale pink border.
Hyacinthus ‘Anna Liza’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
In fact, such an expressive color in flowers appears only closer to fading, and at the time of dissolution and at the peak of flowering, the flowers of the hyacinth “Anna Lisa” have a very light pinkish color. But this cultivar has another valuable feature. While the anthers of most hyacinth varieties are light and unremarkable, in the Anna Lisa hyacinth they are dark, almost black, and give the impression of expressive eyes.
This is a tall hyacinth up to 35 centimeters high together with an inflorescence, an ear of very dense, regular oval shape.
8. Ocean Delight Hyacinth
Hyacinth “Ocean Delight” (Ocean Delight) – “black” mystical hyacinth. One of the few very dark, almost black hyacinths. Unlike other “black” hyacinths with the darkest purple petals, for example, “Midnight Mystic », «Dark Dimenšen», “Black Sapphire”, this cultivar initially reveals relatively light blue-violet flowers. But approximately on the second or third day after the dissolution, the petals darken noticeably and become almost black.
Hyacinth ‘Ocean Delight’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com polysad
This feature will look especially impressive if you plant a group of bulbs of the same variety in a flowerpot. In this case, inflorescences that bloom at different times will have different shades of blue.
The color of the flower is as dark purple as possible with a small blue border, and the flower stalks are brown. The flowers of this variety have a strong, pleasant aroma. The inflorescence is very dense, cylindrical in shape, up to 22 centimeters long, the average spike has up to 40 flowers.
Read also our article 8 of the best autumn bulbous flowers.
9. Hyacinth “Rembrandt”
Rembrandt Hyacinth (Rembrandt) – two-color hyacinth “Gzhel”. This picturesque variety got the name of a genius artist thanks to the expressive patterns on the petals, which were painted like a brush by an invisible artist.
Hyacinthus ‘Rembrandt’. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
In most hyacinths, if you look closely, you can see a light border around the edges of the petals. But the Rembrandt variety has the most striking contrast between the dark blue-violet center and the almost white edges. The most expressive color becomes as the flowers “mature” (the more time has passed since the dissolution, the brighter).
The variety reaches a height of 25-30 centimeters. The inflorescence is 12-15 centimeters long. Numerous flowers (30-40 pieces), collected in a dense dense ear.
