Ive got about half a dozen pots of hyacinths sitting in a dark spot in the garage ready for a Christmas show of colour.

I really adore the hyacinths at Christmas, they brighten up any room and also seem to act as an air freshener with their wonderful scent. Its something I used to do as a child with my mum, plant the hyacinths in a series of well loved bowls. When I left home I bought her a bowl every Christmas to remind her.

This started me thinking, whilst I was in St Lukes charity shop yesterday. They had a whole shelf of decorative planters which were 25p each which would accommodate 3 prepared hyacinths. (Dont forget to buy prepared ones if youre doing them in pots for Christmas). Packs of 3 hyacinth bulbs were about a pound in Wilkinsons. My bright idea was, what a lovely Christmas gift for aunties, grannies or friends which looks a lot but actually costs very little.

Trouble is, when I start them off I cant bear to part with them...

For the first time this year, Ive set some paperwhite narcissus in a bowl too.

Have you done any yet?

Shall we post pictures at Christmas?

I've done 2 bowls - one white and one purple. It's the first time I've done it so I'm hoping that I won't forget to water them etc! So we'll see!

I sometimes forget, having put them away in the garage. Ive just written myself a reminder. But they dont need that much.

Must remember not to over water mine then! eeek!

Would it be too late to plant some now?

Also, which St Lukes were the pots in? I've been looking around for some cheap pots. :)

Sadly yes it's too late to plant them in for them to be in flowers for Christmas (apparently) however, if you don't mind them coming up in Jan then there's no reason why not to go out and get some - you'll just be a couple of weeks late flowering. Apparently (according to a certain Mr Titchmarsh) you need to get the Hyacynths in by Sep 15th to have them in flower for Christmas. Give it a go though and see - who knows! :)

As for cheap bulb pots wilkos have been selling them off cheap.

Gleadless Townend St Lukes.

Went to the garage the other day to check on mine where they are hiding under the dark bench.

I couldnt believe it. The paperwhite narcissus are now 6" tall???? None of the others have come up. Why?? Do they always do this.

i think if you haven'tput any hyacinths in yet its still worth the risk for christmas presents - it doesn't really matter if they aren't in flower on christmas day - the receiver will love watching them come into flower and that heady scent when they eventually do - and with the flower and the scent they can't fail to think of you the giver - great gifts!

KC

Gleadless Townend St Lukes.

Went to the garage the other day to check on mine where they are hiding under the dark bench.

I couldnt believe it. The paperwhite narcissus are now 6" tall???? None of the others have come up. Why?? Do they always do this.

I've no idea... er how dark is this dark bench? Might be worth putting them in a really dark place for a bit... might be a bit too late with the white ones though...

I'm shamelessly rewriting the meaning of 'bulbs for Christmas' here. :hihi:

Having gone from a garden and allotment slave to a proud balcony containerist, the last year's events have meant wholesale neglect of my plant life. However for Christmas I've been given a hyacinth in a jar to grow. It's going to take ten weeks in the fridge apparently. It's a new start ( a new start in other ways too) but it feels very weird now this is the sum total of my current gardening calendar!

I've got bulbs poking their noses out on the balcony as usual, but I've not replaced any this year and I'm not expecting many flowers to result.

I used to have tiny irises coming out at this time of year, now all I have is an accidental gift-bulb in the fridge. It's a start. By summer I'll be a gardener again! This hyacinth had better be good!

This is when spring starts to show its small signs of foetal hope. Happy new year everyone! :wave:

I've had an Iris up since October - a summer flowering one, not even the spring dwarf variety! It did the same last year and never flowered... Obviously it's got seasonal issues :P

I also have a million dwarf irises, snowdrops, crocus' coming up... I bought two bags of irises off a website with 100 in each and I've planted almost all of them! So I'm gonna have a good few, I just hope they make it to Spring as the snow likes to come around March these days, at least I have a shed now to put them in :|

No indoor bulbs as such, however my crocus' I bought last year in a nice pot for indoors is beginning to grow again after being left outside. So I think I'll bring it inside once they're close to flowering.

Well it's the 6th Jan and our two bowls of hyacinths are just colouring up. I guess I should have brought them into the warmth and light a couple of weeks earlier! Ah well. They will still be a nice sight and smell in the house for this new year!

no hyacinths, but my daffs and alium thingys are poking through the soil ... daffs about an inch high, alium things about 3 inches high.