Chief
among the Victorian flower garden plants, the hyacinth
was 'the best of domestic flowers' and a favourite display
at floral exhibits. Victorian England imported many
hyacinths from Holland, but they could be cultivated
just as well at home.
First,
good bulbs (hard and heavy) should be purchased. They
could be planted into a light, rich, sandy soil for
pot culture, or a bed liberally dug over with sand and
leaf mould in asheltered position. They needed to be
planted early, and to be kept well watered. Bulbs tended
to repeat flower poorly in English gardens, and Hibberd
believed this was because of the lack of water on many
gardens.
If
raised in pots, then the hyacinths needed to be placed
in frames once their flowering was over in order to
protect their delicate leaves from the weather. If the
bulbs were in the garden, then they needed to be planted
in sheltered positions, perhaps close to hedgerows.
