The Legend, Growing Methods and Flower Language of Hyacinths: A Complete Guide

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

The Legend of the Hyacinth, Hyacinth Growing Methods, The Complete Hyacinth Flower Language

The hyacinth is native to the eastern Mediterranean coast and loves a cool, moist, sunny environment. When a hyacinth blooms it is extremely gorgeous and beautiful, giving a sense of vigorous life, and it is loved by many people. It also has many layers of flower-language meaning, and hyacinths of different colors each carry a different meaning. So do you know the legend about the hyacinth?

In Greek mythology, the sun god Apollo and the handsome young man Hyacinthus were good friends, and they often played together. The god of the west wind, Zephyrus, also liked Hyacinthus very much, and was often jealous because of it. One day, Hyacinthus and the sun god Apollo were happily throwing the discus on the grassland, and it just so happened that Zephyrus, hiding in the bushes, spotted them, and he was instantly overcome with jealousy and wanted to play a trick on them.

When Apollo again threw the discus toward Hyacinthus, Zephyrus, blinded by jealousy, secretly blew hard from the side; unexpectedly he blew too hard, and the discus struck Hyacinthus right on the forehead. In an instant the blood flowed like a pillar and could not be stopped no matter what, and so Hyacinthus breathed his last. Apollo could not accept the fact that his friend had died just like that, and grief-stricken he lifted up his lifeless friend, endlessly uttering the sound "Ai! Ai!" The wound of Hyacinthus poured out a great amount of blood, which fell to the ground and flowed into the grass. Not long afterward, strings of purple flowers actually bloomed in that patch of grass. To express his apology and to commemorate this friend, Apollo used his name as the name of these purple flowers, which we translate directly as "hyacinth."

The purple hyacinth has ever since been regarded as the spokesperson for "jealousy"; in Greek, Ai and Aei (meaning "forever") are synonymous, so the hyacinth also symbolizes "remembrance forever." Perhaps precisely because of this, Europeans and Americans often carve the hyacinth pattern on the tombstones of their loved ones to express "permanent remembrance."

What are the growing methods for hyacinths, and what is the hyacinth flower language? Here I have compiled the relevant knowledge and content for everyone, so that while learning about the legend of the hyacinth, you can also master more knowledge related to hyacinth flowers.

I. Hyacinth Growing Methods

The general method for growing hyacinths in pots is to plant the bulbs in nutrient pots in September, place them in sunlight for care, move them into a greenhouse in November, and they can bloom by the Spring Festival of the following year. Below is a detailed explanation of the knowledge required for growing hyacinth flowers.

1. Bulb selection: Since the nutrients needed for a hyacinth to bloom are mainly supplied by the nutrients stored in the scale leaves of the bulb, only by choosing bulbs with undamaged outer skins, fleshy scales that are not excessively shriveled, and that are relatively hard, heavy and plump, can you get abundant and beautiful flowers.

2. Soil requirements: Growing hyacinth flowers requires fertile soil with high organic matter content, and it is best to use sandy soil with good drainage. Before planting, moisten the soil and let it stand for a day before planting. During the growing period, frequent topdressing is required; for ground planting, loosen the soil in time after seedlings emerge, and you may choose to apply one topdressing in winter, then one more topdressing before flowering in spring and one more after the flowers fade.

3. Light: Growing hyacinths requires maintaining sufficient sunlight to ensure normal growth. If the light is too weak, it will cause the hyacinth plant to become spindly, the buds to be small, the flowers to fade early, and the leaves to turn yellow; at this time you can use an incandescent lamp about 1 m away to supplement light. But excessively strong light can also cause scorching of the leaves and petals or shorten the flowering period. Before the bulb sprouts, it should not be placed under direct sunlight.

4. Temperature and humidity regulation: Too high a temperature will cause deformed growth in hyacinths and a high rate of blind flowers; it is best to keep it below 15°C. You can increase humidity by misting and sprinkling water on the ground, and you can also use measures such as ventilation to lower humidity. Too low a temperature, on the other hand, will cause the flower buds to suffer frost damage. During the growth of the hyacinth, the root system grows best when the bulb is at a low temperature of 2-6°C. Soil humidity should be kept between 60-70%; if too high, root respiration is inhibited and rot easily occurs, and if too low, the aboveground part wilts or even dies.

5. Water culture of hyacinths: There should be a 1-2 cm space between the water surface and the bulb; never submerge the bottom of the bulb in water. Instead, place the bulb on the rim of the bottle. After roots begin to grow, the water level can be lowered until the water surface just touches the roots, so that the roots can fully absorb oxygen and promote the growth of root hairs. After the roots have developed, you can cover the container with black cloth to allow the bulb to develop further.

At the same time, keep the water in the bottle clean and change the water once a week. If nutrient solution has been added, decide the number of water changes according to how cloudy the water is. When the sprout of the bulb grows to 5 cm, place the whole bottle in a dark place, and after the root system has fully emerged, move it to a warm south-facing windowsill with plenty of scattered light, frequently adding water so that the water reaches the bulb.

II. The Flowering Period of the Hyacinth

The flowering period of the hyacinth, counted from the opening of the first flower, is generally about two weeks. It usually blooms between March and June. Its growth cycle is dormancy in summer, rooting in autumn and winter, sprouting in early spring, flowering in March, and the plant withering in early June.

After a hyacinth has bloomed once, cut off the withered roots and leaves, place it in a cool place or plant it in soil, then plant it in the ground or in a pot again in September, apply base fertilizer and topdressing to prompt the mother bulb to split and help the daughter bulbs grow larger; only when they have grown to a certain size can they bloom again. You can also take it out to plant again the following spring, and it can bloom once more.

III. What Is the Flower Language of the Hyacinth

The flower language of the hyacinth is: "As long as you light the fire of life, you can share in a rich life." In addition, the hyacinth also has many different meanings such as victory, competition, joy, affection, happiness, deep passion, admiration, stubbornness, life, and remembrance forever. And hyacinths of different colors all have different layers of flower-language meaning. Below are listed the flower-language meanings of hyacinths of various colors:

Blue is the ancestor of all colors of hyacinths, so its flower language is - life.

The flower language of the red hyacinth is --- love that moves people;

The purple hyacinth represents sorrow, jealousy, and melancholy love;

The white hyacinth means love that one dares not reveal;

The yellow hyacinth expresses happiness and completeness, and being very happy to be with you;

The pink hyacinth means admiration, romance, and a light, elegant fragrance;

The light purple hyacinth stands for a gentle temperament and romantic feelings;

The flower language of the dark blue hyacinth is being somewhat melancholy because of love;

The pink-red hyacinth expresses passion.

The hyacinth also symbolizes "remembrance forever," and Europeans and Americans often carve the hyacinth pattern on the tombstones of their loved ones to show "permanent remembrance." In addition, because after the hyacinth's flowering period ends, if it is to bloom again, the previously dying flowers need to be cut off, so the hyacinth also represents reborn love.