I’m Feeding My Soul ...

“If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
and from thy slender store
Two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy Hyacinths to feed thy Soul.”

Sadi

Choosing A Healthy Hyacinth ...
Size Matters!

With bulbs you tend to get what you pay for – the lower the price the lower the quality of bulb, which is often reflected in the bulbs being fairly small. When buying your Hyacinth bulbs ideally you should be able to feel the bulbs before you buy – so get them from your local garden centre. Avoid any of the bulbs that are damaged, shriveled or feel soft – rather choose the bulbs that are plump, firm and dry and which feel almost flaky. Never buy bulbs that are cracked or broken in any way. The size of the bulb will affect the size of flowers they produce in their first year. If you buy small hyacinth bulbs they may not flower in the first year rather it could take two to three years before they bloom.

Which Type Of Hyacinth to Buy ...
Eeny, meeny, miny mo ...

There are basically four types of hyacinths for sale – single garden hyacinths, double garden hyacinths, multifloras and prepared hyacinths. As I’m looking to grow my hyacinths indoors for Christmas, I’m looking for prepared bulbs. This means the bulbs should flower much more quickly. Remember – once you’ve bought your bulbs you should aim to get them planted within a week otherwise they will start to sprout.

Growing Hyacinths In Water Vases ...

Water Vases are specially shaped glass containers that enable you to place a bulb in the top and water below – without the two touching.

However, you don’t have to buy special glass vases if you don’t want to. As long as the hyacinth bulb doesn’t rest in the water, you can use other containers to retain the bulb whilst still letting you watch the roots grow.
I’m filling a glass vase with some coloured glass pebbles (which I’m always buying to cover the compost in my containers) into which I’m adding tap water up to about 5mm from the top of the pebbles, then placing the bulbs on top.

Best Kept In The Dark ...

Once you’ve ‘planted’ your hyacinth bulbs you need to put them away in a cool, dark place within your home or garage.
Check on them occasionally to make sure that the water doesn’t evaporate and after about 8-10 weeks the bulbs should have shoots about 4-5cm in height. You can then take the bulbs out of their solitary confinement and put them where you can watch them grow.
Ideally you should place the bulbs where they won’t be in direct sunlight, are away from draughts and apart from any artificial sources of heat (such as above a radiator).

It’s All In The Shade ...

With virtually every flower you can think of there will be a meaning – based on the flower itself or the flower and its colour, and hyacinths are no exception. Here is what I’ve found out ...

The blue hyacinth symbolizes consistency / sincerity
A purple hyacinth stands as a symbol of sorrow, a request for forgiveness. If you receive a purple hyacinth from a friend with whom you’re fallen out then the flower is being used to say “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
Playfulness is pink in the language of hyacinths
The white hyacinths represent loveliness and ‘I’ll pray for you’
Red hyacinths symbolize love and happiness
Whist the yellow hyacinth indicates jealousy.

So just think before you start handing out bunches of hyacinths to everyone ...

A Bit Of A Legend ... Or Is It A Greek Tragedy???

Are you sitting comfortably ... then I’ll begin ...
Once upon a time there was a beautiful young boy called Hyacinthus. He was the favourite companion of the Greek God Apollo, as well as being much loved for his beauty by Zephyr, the God of the West Wind.
One day Apollo and Hyacinthus were playing a game to see who could through a discus the furthest. Zepher saw this play and was jealous, so when Apollo took up the discus and threw it, Zephyr blew the discus over and it hit Hyacinthus in the head.
Apollo was horrified and tried to stop the blood that came from his friend’s wound. But it was too late and Hyacinthus died. The blood that spilled from his wound onto the ground turned into a flower – and Apollo named this flower after him - the Hyacinth.

Sunny Stories, Myths And Meanings ...

The sunny face of a sunflower always makes me smile ... in fact; I think it must be almost impossible to not feel happy when you see sunflowers peering over a fence or hedge ...

Whilst it’s still a little early to be planting sunflowers for this year’s garden, I’ve been doing a bit of research into what the sunflower represents to different people around the world ...

Here’s just a taste of what I’ve found out ...

Sunny Sunflowers ...
I’m correct to be cheered by the sight of bright yellow sunflowers … the sunflower is often believed to promise warmth, nourishment and power (a cheerful thought ...), with the gift of a dwarf sunflower signifying a ‘devout admirer’ ...

Although other cultures believe the sunflower to have a regal appearance and see only the bad characteristics that this can bring ... haughtiness for one, false appearances and even unhappy love (hard to believe I’m sure you’ll agree ...)

If you’d like to learn about the legend of the sunflowers, sit back, make yourself comfortable and I’ll begin ...

Sunflowers And The Sun God ...

‘The heart that has truly loved never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets,
The same look that she turned when he rose’


The word sunflower comes from the Greek ‘Helianthus’ ... ‘Helios’ meaning ‘sun’ and ‘anthos’ meaning flower and it is Greek mythology which provides us with the story of the origin of the sunflower ...

There was once a water-nymph called Clytie who fell in love with the God of the Sun Apollo (or Helius). She was so much in love that she would sit on the ground and stare up at the sun all day long ... but, Apollo never noticed her ...

The other Gods took pity on her and turned her into a sunflower ... her legs became the sunflower’s stem, whilst her face became the flower, her golden hair the petals.

Even in the form of a sunflower Clytie continues to watch her love and that is why the sunflower’s face turns to follow the path of the sun ...

But, as with many legends, over time the tale has become altered ... here is a slightly sadder tale ...

There was once a water-nymph called Clytie who fell in love with the God of the Sun Apollo. She was so much in love that she would sit on the ground and stare up at the sun all day long ... but Apollo never returned her love.

She sat all day long, upon the cold ground, following the path of the sun al day long. For nine days eating no food and taking nothing to drink ... in fact pining away ... Her limbs rooted into the ground, whilst her face became the flower, continuing to following the course of the sun throughout the day ... in love with the sun just as Clytie was with Apollo ...

And finally a third tale ... one of darker deeds ...

There was once a nymph called Clytie who fell in love with the God of the Sun Apollo. Apollo scorned her love in favour of the love of another Leucothoe, the daughter of Orchamus the King of Persia.

Jealous Clytie told Orchamus of the love affair between his daughter and Apollo and as punishment Orchamus buried his daughter alive! Apollo hated Clytie even more now and so she wasted away ... becoming the sunflower whose head turns to follow the sun every day ...

The Meaning Of The Sunflower ...

So, now we think we know the legend the sunflower, let’s see what other cultures have made of the sunflower over the years ...

Sunflowers Worshipped In Peru ...

After reading the story above, I think you’ll understand people choosing to worship the sunflower. In 1532 in Peru the natives were found worshipping a giant sunflower, representing the sacred image of a sun god ... with Incan priestesses wearing large, gold discs designed as sunflowers.

A Little Bit Of Chinese ...

In China the sunflower was used to symbolise longevity ...

Sunny America ...

Looking back through the history of Central and North America you’ll find sunflowers being used ...

North American Indians placed bowls of sunflowers seeds on the graves of their dead to ‘nourish them’ on their long journey ...

In Central and North America they have been used to make dye, oil for food and even medicine ...

And more recently Kansas was designated as the Sunflower State ...

‘Oh sunflower! The queen of all flowers,
No other with you can compare,
The roadside and fields are made golden
Because of your bright presence there.
Above all the weeds that surround you
You raise to the sun your bright head,
Embroidering beautiful landscapes
Your absence would leave brown and dead.’
[An Ode To The Kansas Sunflower by Ed Blair]

Nuclear Free Sunflowers ...

‘Sunflowers instead of missiles in the soil would insure peace for future generations.’
[William Perry, former U.S. secretary of defence]

In June 1996 the Sunflower was chosen to symbolise a world free of nuclear weapons. After Ukraine gave up its last nuclear warhead, defence ministers from the Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. met on a former Ukrainian missile base. They celebrated by scattering sunflower seeds and planting sunflowers.

Six months later William Perry received a letter from the U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine. He had sent him some sunflower seeds harvested from those same sunflowers which had been planted at the missile base.

‘And I took those seeds and I gave them to my grandson to plant at his school - as a symbol that he and his grandchildren would not have to live with the same dark nuclear cloud that’s been hanging over my head for all these years’
[William Perry]

Not only have has the sunflower been chosen to represent a nuclear free world, you’ll also find it used by many green parties around the world.

Let’s End On A Happy Note ...

‘I'm just as happy as a big sunflower
That nods and bends in the breezes,
My heart's as light as the wind that blows,
Blowing from off the trees-es.

I'm just as happy as a butterfly
That dips and spins in the flowers
My song's as joyous as the pretty bird's
Singing to us for hours.’

Sing along now ...

A Lesson In Life?

“I don't think there's anything on this planet that more trumpets life that the sunflower.

For me that's because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun.

During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it.

And that's such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life."

Quote from the ‘Calendar Girls’ movie.

Early Home Grown Daffodils ... Courtesy Of The Poly Tunnel

"A house with daffodils in it is a house lit up,
whether or no the sun be shining outside."

A.A. Milne

Although it’s too early for blooming daffodils in the garden I was able to collect the first hand full of home grown daffs this weekend ... courtesy of those growing in tubs in the poly tunnel.

So much nicer than shop bought and with blooms unblemished by weather ideal to bring a bit of spring indoors ...

Let The Flowers Do The Talking This Valentines Day ...

As we rush towards February the 14th and the florists bask in the fact that many of us use flowers to say "I love you", I thought I’d give you a few hints to make sure the flowers you choose say the right thing ..

"Sweet flowers alone can say what passion fears revealing"
[Thomas Hood]

Getting The Message Right ...
If you stray from the standard bouquet of red roses, you’ll find a whole host of other flowers which can convey a message of love ...

‘thee only do I love’ says the arbutus ...

‘I love you’ says the red chrysanthemum ...

‘you’re adorable’ says the white camellia ...

whilst the pink camellia says ‘I’m longing for you’ ...

‘true love, true love ...’ sings the forget me not ...

whilst the gloxinia says ‘love at first sight’ ...

But if you get a bouquet of spider flowers get your suitcase packed ...

you’re being asked to elope!

Saying The Wrong Thing ...

You might think that by giving flowers you’ll always get a warm reception ... but if you choose the wrong flowers you could be getting the message wrong ...

if you’re feeling fickle present a bouquet if pink larkspur ...

a bunch of buttercups could imply you’re being childish ...

a strong message of refusal comes with striped carnations which whisper ‘I can’t be with you’ ...

whilst if you’re feeling insincere foxgloves might let the others know ...

and when you’re going to be deceitful I’d advise against mock orange flowers which could let everyone in on the secret ...

So know I’ve got you worried about what you’re choice of bouquet is going to say ... you might be tempted to go back to a bunch of red roses ... just make sure you get the number right!!