I sometimes think that never blows so red
The rose as where some buried Cæsar bled;
That every hyacinth the garden wears
Dropt in her lap from some once lovely head.
--_Omar Khayyam._
Hyacinth, also called Jacinth, is said to be "supreme amongst the
flowers of spring." It was in cultivation before 1597, and is therefore
not a new favorite. Gerard, at the above date, records the existence
of six varieties. Rea, in 1676, mentions several single and double
varieties as being then in English gardens, and Justice, in 1754,
describes upwards of fifty single-flowered varieties, and nearly one
hundred double-flowered ones, as a selection of the best from the
catalogues of two then celebrated Dutch growers. One of the Dutch
sorts, called _La Reine de Femmes_, is said to have produced from
thirty-four to thirty-eight flowers in a spike, and on its first
appearance to have sold for fifty guilders a bulb. Others sold for
even larger sums. Justice relates that he himself raised several very
valuable double-flowered kinds from seeds, which many of the sorts he
describes are noted for producing freely.
It is said that the original of the cultivated hyacinth (_Hyacinthus
orientalis_) is by comparison an insignificant plant, bearing on a
spike only a few small, narrow-lobed, wash, blue flowers. So great has
been the improvement effected by the florists that the modern hyacinth
would hardly be recognized as the descendant of the type above referred
to, the spikes being long and dense, composed of a large number of
flowers; the spikes not infrequently measure six or seven inches in
length and from seven to nine inches in circumference, with the flowers
closely set on from bottom to top. Of late years much improvement has
been effected in the size of the individual flowers and the breadth
of their recurving lobes, as well as in securing increased brilliancy
and depth of color. The names of hyacinths are now almost legion, and
of all colors, carmine red, dark blue, lilac-pink, bluish white,
indigo-blue, silvery-pink, rose, yellow, snow-white, azure-blue. The
bulbs of the hyacinths are said to be as near perfection as can be;
and if set early in well-prepared soil, free from all hard substances,
given plenty of room, and mulched with leaves and trash, which should
be removed in the spring, they will be even more beautiful than any
description can indicate. When potted for winter bloom in the house,
good soil, drainage, and space must be given to them and they must
be kept moist and cool, as well as in the dark while forming roots
preparatory to blooming. After they are ready to bloom they do best in
rooms having a southern exposure, as they will need only the warmth of
the sunlight to perfect them. The hyacinth does not tolerate gas and
artificial heat.
There is a pretty legend connected with the hyacinth. Hyacinthus was
a mythological figure associated with the hyacinthia, a festival
celebrated by the Spartans in honor of Apollo of Amyclæ, whose
primitive image, standing on a throne, is described by Pausanias. The
legend is to the effect that Hyacinthus, a beautiful youth beloved by
the god, was accidentally killed by him with a discus. From his blood
sprang a dark-colored flower called after him hyacinth, on whose petals
is the word "alas." The myth is one of the many popular representations
of the beautiful spring vegetation slain by the hot sun of summer. The
sister of Hyacinthus is Polyboca, the much-nourishing fertility of the
rich Amyclæan valley; while his brother is Cynortas, the rising of the
dog (the hot) star. But with the death of the spring is united the idea
of its certain resuscitation in a new year. The festival took place
on the three hottest days of summer, and its rites were a mixture of
mourning and rejoicing.