Hyacinth bulbs hold so much promise before they have even started flowering.
From the moment they are planted, or balanced above water, it's like a starting gun has been fired.
I love the simplicity of their form before they flower........ but when they start to unfurl their buds, that is when the performance makes you sit up and take notice...............
..............It's not just the colour that starts to glow as each flower bud reveals it's true colours............. it's the perfume! That rich, heady, sweet aroma.
The scent thickens as more flowers open, and forces you to analyse it's complexity. It isn't simply sweet, it is musky, earthy, almost cloying.
One morning I stood, hovering over them, like a wine taster might over a glass of dark ruby red wine. As I enjoyed their thick, syrupy perfume, I scrutinised the flowers. Some of the buds were still closed. 'Tiny envelopes of scent', I smiled to myself........ like miniature perfumed letters.
All that energy in one bulb! Extraordinary.
It's no surprise it all becomes too much for them when the flowers are fully open. They become heavy, they even smell weighty.
So when the stalks flop, that's when I intervene. I don't want their magnificence to be diminished, so I display them differently............
........ in a vase.........
I don't think they look any less magnificent, I'm just prolonging their splendour.
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Hyacinth bulbs hold so much promise before they have even started flowering.
From the moment they are planted, or balanced above water, it's like a starting gun has been fired.
I love the simplicity of their form before they flower........ but when they start to unfurl their buds, that is when the performance makes you sit up and take notice...............
..............It's not just the colour that starts to glow as each flower bud reveals it's true colours............. it's the perfume! That rich, heady, sweet aroma.
The scent thickens as more flowers open, and forces you to analyse it's complexity. It isn't simply sweet, it is musky, earthy, almost cloying.
One morning I stood, hovering over them, like a wine taster might over a glass of dark ruby red wine. As I enjoyed their thick, syrupy perfume, I scrutinised the flowers. Some of the buds were still closed. 'Tiny envelopes of scent', I smiled to myself........ like miniature perfumed letters.
All that energy in one bulb! Extraordinary.
It's no surprise it all becomes too much for them when the flowers are fully open. They become heavy, they even smell weighty.
So when the stalks flop, that's when I intervene. I don't want their magnificence to be diminished, so I display them differently............
........ in a vase.........
I don't think they look any less magnificent, I'm just prolonging their splendour.
they are just perfect, a real display of natures abilities.
great photos too! what is that spotty background?
Posted by: driftwood | January 11, 2008 at 07:16 AM
Ahhhh Hyacinth bulbs, yes aren't they the most amazing things?! I usually do some each year in jars of water like yours but didn't manage it this yr. You have reminded me how wonderful they are, I think I will go to the market this afternoon and buy some potted ones.
Vanessa, just have to say again that your photographs are always soooooo stunning, its a real treat to visit your blog each morning with my cup of coffee. Thankyou xxx
Posted by: Lucy | January 11, 2008 at 10:53 AM
What a gorgeous post. I've loved hyacinths ever since we planted a pot of bulbs when I was in primary school, after listening to the story of Apollo and Hyacinthus. I was chosen to take the pot home for the Christmas holidays and I tended those bulbs as if my life depended on it! And my reward? That unforgettable scent of hyacinth flowers.
Posted by: Liz | January 11, 2008 at 04:35 PM
mmmMMMMMMMM....Just simpiy stunning...I can smell them....
10/10 for the photos...
Posted by: RI | January 11, 2008 at 04:37 PM