Hyacinthus

[Paddy Tobin]

Katherine,

I try to keep the foliage growing as long as possible, keep the bulbs in a cold greenhouse and feed regularly and then plant them out in the garden under shrubs in spring. They do well in the open garden; the overhanging shrubs give a certain amount of protection from frost and I have bulbs flowering every year which I planted in the garden 20 years ago. The scent is wonderful.

Paddy

[Katherine J]

Thanks, Paddy.
My greenhouse is the staircase, but it works well. I will do that.

[Lvandelft]

Who wouldn't like such a bunch of SPRING on the table?

[tonyg]

I thought Woodstock was yellow? Mind you, my memory isn't worth a bag of peanuts thesedays!

My eldest has just begun to Snoop around my books - She's a Schultz fan too now.   
When I grew up I found Calvin & Hobbes which fits my parenting years well

[Anthony Darby]

I liked the ones in the classroom: Charlie Brown to Lucy: "what did you answer for question 3?" "38! What did you get?" "Red!!!". She never did let him kick that ball!

[Maggi Young]

My favs scenes are with : Snoopy and Woodstock and the Scout Troop / Snoopy's brother Spike / the delicate relationship between Peppermint Patty and Snoopy. Delicious, every one.
I have seen Calvin and Hobbes but never really got hooked.... oh! you were asking about your CHILDREN's
reading habits, not the (supposed)grown-ups?

[Paul T]

I just LOVE Calvin and Hobbes.  Has some really interesting things to say about society.... and it is a lot of fun too!! 

[Tony Willis]

Not quite as showy as the garden varieties,small and refined with a fantastic scent.

Hyacinthus orientalis turkey pinabasi

[Lvandelft]

Hyacinthus orientalis turkey pinabasi

Seems not having much changed since good old Carolus Clusius produced a picture
in his famous work in 1601.
Nevertheless a very interesting plant you showed us here, Tony!

[dominique]

Fantastic Tony. Thanks

[Tony Willis]

a couple more pictures of hyacinthus orientalis.

The first is from nehmrut dag  and the second is one from pinabasi both in eastern turkey

[SueG]

I usually have a few in the house which then make it to the garden for future years and I rather like the way the flower spikes become much looser and sparser - more like the species they've been bred from I guess - it also means they don't fall over quite so much. Mine are just now coming through outside so something to look forward to.
Sue

[Tony Willis]

this years pictures of Hyacinthus orientalis.

I know they have been sub divided into two sub species  and these represent one from each

the first is ssp orientalis  and the second ssp chionophyllus

[ashley]

Both really beautiful Tony.  How long from seed to flowering?

[Tony Willis]

Ashley,five years. I have never had seed set and not managed an off set yet.

I have another three in the pot of ssp chinophyllus which are in early bud.