Flower Love
Everyone loves growing bulbs in pots or garden beds, but there is also another way to have flowering bulbs even if you don’t have space outside. Hyacinths, for example, can be grown in a glass vase, kept indoors to bloom to their fragrant beauty.
The hyacinths are grown in a special glass jar, shaped like an hourglass with the lower half filled with water and the onion placed in the upper half. Water should never touch the bottom of the bulb, only about 5mm below. Place the filled jar in a cupboard or dark place for several weeks until roots and shoots appear. Then gradually move the vase to brighter light (avoid hot direct sunlight) over the next few weeks until the flower shoot blooms, where it can make a conversation piece as a display on a coffee or dining table.
Instructions
Place the onion in the crisper tray of the refrigerator, away from fruits and vegetables, for 4-6 weeks to simulate a winter that will initiate the growing process and improve stem length.
Place the charcoal in the bottom of the vase and then fill with water. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bulb by about 5mm.
Place the vase in a dark, cool and well-ventilated area, e.g. a cupboard, pantry or cellar.
Check the water level frequently to ensure that the water level does not fall too far below the bulb or touch the bulb.
When the bulb shoots and is about 50mm long (usually 10 to 12 weeks) and you can see some roots in the vase, move the vase to a room where the temperature is between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius to see it flower.
It is best to introduce the vase to new light conditions slowly over a few days. This prevents the flowers from growing open and elongated.
For a longer bloom time, be careful not to place the glass too close to a heat source as this will cause the flower to open and die very quickly.
After flowering, the bulb has used up all its energy and will not grow again.
