History of the hyacinth
The hyacinth originates from the eastern Mediterranean area, from Turkey to Lebanon. The Dutch cultivars that we know today descend from Hyacinthus orientalis, a blue species imported around the middle of the 16th century. A member of the Liliaceae family, the hyacinth winters in the form of a scaled bulb. Applying temperature treatments to produce hyacinths in greenhouses was introduced at the beginning of this century. Like the tulip and several other bulbous plants, the hyacinth itself does not produce a high quality flower nor sufficient stem length until the bulb is exposed to a period of low temperatures. This process is called “forcing“, a process Ruigrok Flowerbulbs has perfected over many years of experience.
Top 5 hyacinths
At the moment, the top 5 hyacinth varieties at Ruigrok Flowerbulbs are:
- Pink Pearl
- White Pearl
- Delft Blue
- Jan Bos
- Blue Jacket
Production process hyacinths
The common method of propagation is cutting the “mother bulbs”. Ruigrok carefully selects high quality bulbs that are 100% virus and bacteria free. These bulbs are harvested in July. For the production of cut flowers for flower arrangements, the bulbs are forced into flower by use of a temperature treatment. After carefully cutting out the base of the bulbs, they are planted in forcing boxes and stored them in climate controlled rooms for temperature treatment. As a result, a great number of little bulbs will then start to grow at the base of the bulb. These bulbs are then planted by hand in late November.
For more information
Ruigrok Flowerbulbs nursery
Email: sales@ruigrokflowerbulbs.com
www.ruigrokflowerbulbs.com