Easter Basket Hyacinths sampler    

Sampler & It’s Back!

Sample the rich colors and fragrances of these under-appreciated treasures. Easy to force and great in the garden in zones 5a-8a(10bWC). We’ll send five different singles, our choice, all terrific!

For 2, 3, or more of each, order additional samplers. Hyacinth care.

Anna Liza hyacinth     1972

Rarest

Mauve? Lavender-pink? Soft rosy violet? The color may be hard to describe, but ‘Anna Liza’ is both distinctive and beautiful. And though it’s not very old, true stock is increasingly hard to find – so here it is! 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart and care.

City of Haarlem hyacinth     1893

The wonderfully soft, baby-chick yellow of ‘City of Haarlem’ makes every hyacinth rainbow lovelier. Named for the bulb district’s grandest city, ‘Haarlem’ has been a favorite for well over a century. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart and care.

Fondant hyacinth     1983

Every bit as sweet as its name, “Fondant” is a pure apple-blossom pink and (according to Cornell scientists) one of the best hyacinths to perennialize – and its delightful fragrance will perfume your garden in the springtime. 8-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart, care, and learn more.

Gypsy Queen hyacinth     1927

“If I could grow only one hyacinth,” wrote Rand Lee in The American Cottage Gardener, “it would be this.” He praised its “luminous” apricot color, the “melon undertone” of its “considerable fragrance,” and how it “naturalizes effortlessly” in his dry, zone-6a Santa Fe garden. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart and care.

Minos hyacinth     1980

Named after the Greek-mythic son of Zeus and Europa, ‘Minos’ brings a touch of mystery to the hyacinth bed. He was the king of Crete while alive and a judge in the underworld after his death, and his fragrant namesake can be as blue as the Aegean sea or a deeper lilac-blue that hints of eternal mysteries. 8-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart, care, and learn more.

Roman Blue hyacinth     1562

Rarest

One of our most sought-after bulbs, this graceful, cinnamon-scented wildflower multiplies happily year after year. It’s been passed along since colonial days, and though counterfeits are rife, ours from the Hortus Bulborum are 100% true. Slightly less cold-hardy than regular hyacinths – zones 6a-8a(10bWC), 8-10”. Chart and care.

Roman Pink hyacinth     1573

Rarest

Like all true Roman hyacinths, this soft pink charmer is fragrant, graceful, and – maybe best of all – it will multiply into a clump that gets bigger and more beautiful every year. A little less cold-hardy than regular hyacinths – zones 6a-8a(10bWC), 8-10”, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart and care.

Roman White hyacinth     1597

Rarest

After decades of searching, we’d all but given up hope of ever offering true white Roman hyacinths, but our prayers were finally answered by the Hortus Bulborum! Once so popular they were exported by the millions from the south of France, white Romans are graceful, deliciously fragrant, slightly less cold-hardy than regular hyacinths – zones 6a-8a(10bWC), 8-10”, from the Hortus Bulborum– and they multiply eagerly! Chart and care.

Sky Jacket hyacinth     1976

Rarest

Soft, silvery blue tinted with lavender, ‘Sky Jacket’ glows when touched by spring sunlight. Although nearly 2500 acres of hyacinths are grown in the Netherlands, only 5 are devoted to this once leading variety. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart and care.

Splendid Cornelia hyacinth     1984

When our friend Alan Shipp described this variety as being “a lovely lilac and one of my favourites,” we knew we had to have it! Its unusual color will add delightful accents to your spring bouquets while its sweet fragrance enchants your nose. As Alan told us, “You will love it!” 8-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart, care, and learn more.

White Pearl hyacinth     1954

Tests at Cornell University rated this mid-century beauty one of the ten best hyacinths for perennializing, and – unlike older, widely available, but scentless ‘Carnegie’ – it smells good! 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from Holland. Chart and care.

Bismarck hyacinth     1875

We were shocked when the last Dutch grower abandoned this great Victorian favorite, because in our garden it returns and reblooms better than any other hyacinth. Now thanks to Alan Shipp, the Noah of hyacinths, it’s back! 10-12”, zones 5a-7b(9bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Double Yellow, Ophir hyacinth     1827?

The rarest hyacinth we’ve ever offered, this extraordinary relic was preserved by a small botanic garden in Lithuania. Although its name was lost ages ago, it looks a lot like ‘Ophir’ pictured in Robert Sweet’s The Florist’s Guide and Cultivator’s Directory of 1827-32, and it’s tall and late-blooming like ‘Ophir’ was. “I can’t be 100% certain,” expert Alan Shipp told us, “but as yellow hyacinths didn’t appear until about 1770, and there were never more than a few double yellows, chances are this really is ‘Ophir’.” Whatever its name, we’re thrilled to have a very few to offer you! 11-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

double
Dreadnought hyacinth     1899

With long outer petals that swoop back and curl like those of a turk’s-cap lily, and shorter inner petals crimped into a squiggly rosette, this is one of the most interesting – and rarest – of the Victorian doubles. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from the British National Collection. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Gloria Mundi hyacinth     1767

Although once enormously popular, double “eyed” hyacinths were all thought to be lost until this ultra-rare survivor was rediscovered in a tiny village in Romania at the end of the 20th century. After painstakingly nurturing it for years, our good friend Alan Shipp finally has a few to share, so here’s your chance to grow something that – if you’re like us – is sure to get your heart pounding. White with a rose-colored eye, more than 250 years old, and truly unique. 8-10”, zones 5a-8a(9bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Grand Blanche Imperiale hyacinth     1798

Although far from showy, this is the oldest traditional hyacinth available today. Sold in the US by 1830, it was praised in 1894 for its “large thick bells” of “charming rosy or blush white.” By the 1950s it was thought to be extinct but it survived in a small botanic garden in Lithuania, and after the fall of the Iron Curtain a few bulbs made their way to Alan Shipp at the UK National Collection – and eventually here. 10-12”, zones 5a-7b(9bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Grand Monarque hyacinth     1863

The embodiment of spring’s silvery blue skies, this heavenly hyacinth is old enough to have been grown by Florence Nightingale and Charles Dickens. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from our English friend Alan Shipp, the Noah of hyacinths. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

King of the Blues hyacinth     1863

Although most hyacinths today are a bit stout, this fabulous ‘King’ retains the narrow, pillar-like shape that was the norm long ago. Its amazing color, though, is what has preserved it – a deep, rich, dark purple that’s as satisfying as the darkest chocolate. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from the UK National Collection. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

L’Innocence hyacinth     1863

A favorite for almost 150 years, this warm white is one of the most perennial hyacinths in our garden and extra easy to force. Our impossibly easy, paper-bag-in-the-fridge instructions will show you how. 10-12”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from the UK National Collection. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Menelik hyacinth     1911

Black is beautiful, and this astonishing hyacinth – named in honor of the Victorian king of Ethiopia – is an intense indigo-purple shading to absolute BLACK. Although it went commercially extinct in Holland in 2001, most years we get a handful of bulbs from Alan Shipp of the UK National Collection. 10-12”, zones 5a-7b(9bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Mulberry Rose hyacinth     1946

The unusual, old-fashioned color of this rare hyacinth sets it apart. It’s a misty puplish-rose, deeper in the center of the petals, paler at the edges, like raspberry ice cream swirled with raspberry sorbet. 8-10”, zones 5a-8a(10bWC), from the UK National Collection of Hyacinths. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Queen of the Blues hyacinth     1870

Although this soft, silvery blue charmer went “commercially extinct” in 2009, our friend Alan Shipp of the UK National Collection has been nurturing a small supply of it for us ever since. You’ll be glad you helped him save it! 10-12”, zones 5a-7b(9bWC), from England. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.

Roman Dark Blue hyacinth     1597

Just a bit darker than the blue Romans we get from the Hortus, with slightly wider petals and an almost chocolate-colored stem, this fragrant, steadily multiplying charmer comes to us from Alan Shipp of the UK National Hyacinth Collection. A bit less cold-hardy than regular hyacinths: zones 6a-8a(10bWC), 8-10”. Last offered in 2022. If you’d like to be notified when it’s back in stock, click here to sign up for an email alert.