Possibly the most important thing to know about growing hyacinth for cut flowers is that you *can* get them longer than you probably realized. The lengths indicated on every supplier brochure I have seen are inaccurately low in many cases. Increasing the stem length is not complicated. simply move them to a darker, colder spot to prolong floret development as they elongate.
For us that's the cooler. Yes, it gets messy. you will definitely have potting soil on the floor the entire hyacinth season. but for these results it's worth it. You can also place them under seedling or work tables for shade and temperature reduction, or move the crates to more wooded areas outdoors for cover.
We are adding an in ground area for growing hyacinth this year that is mostly shade (wooded). Fingers crossed we'll have positive results to share next Spring for that additional growing space.
I will continue to document new varieties having only had the presence of mind to take a few of these shots this season. Carnegie White was far and away my favorite in 2022. I had several wedding designers asking for more who were shocked at their length. My heart is in growing for weddings so i quadrupled our carnedgie fall planting for the 2023 season. We added a few more whites with which to experiment but I'm most excited to see polar giant in particular.
We were subbed Hyacinth Springfield for Atlantic (both blues/indigos) and will not be growing those again. They stayed very short despite the same growing methods, flowering just above soil level.
