b'YEARHYACINTHOF THE ORIGIN:HISTORY: Flower lovers began cultivating hyacinths more Commonlythan 400 years ago. During the 18th century, they were called Dutchthe most popular spring bulbs in the world, and Dutch hyacinthsgrowers offered more than 2,000 named cultivars. or gardenToday, there are less than 50 cultivars in commercial hyacinths, theyproduction, but the hyacinths beauty and sweet are hybrids of aperfume are as enchanting as ever.single species (HyacinthusTRAITS: Todays garden hyacinths look very different orientalis) thatfrom the wild species. After centuries of breeding, grows wild inthey have taller flower spikes and much larger, mostly Turkey, Syria,double florets that are tightly packed along the stem. and other areasEach hyacinth bulb produces a single eight to 12 in the easterntall flower stalk and four to six strappy leaves. The Mediterranean. blossoms open in mid-spring, at the same time as daffodils and early tulips.FAMILY: Asparagaceae COLORS AND POPULAR VARIETIES: Hyacinths come in rich, saturated colors. The most popular cultivars are GENUS:shades of purple and blue, which include Blue Jacket Scilloideae (royal blue), Delft Blue (cerulean), and Aida (violet-blue). Other colors are equally lovely and suggest lots of creative pairings. These include Woodstock (burgundy), Jan Bos (hot pink), Aiolos (white), Gypsy Queen (peach), and City of Haarlem (pale yellow).DID YOU KNOW?: Hyacinth is in the same family as asparagus!BREEDERS: Longfield Gardens, Dutch Grown, Park Seed, Brecks, Burpee, Gurneys Seed & Nursery Co, American Meadows, Gardeners Supply Company, Urban Farmer, Jung Seed, Brent and Beckys Editors Note: Hyacinths are grown from blubs; how-ever, we are excited to highlight the breeding efforts. Source: National Garden Bureau46/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2021'