Expert ’s choice

Hyacinths

Bringing spring colour to beds, these are also enjoyed indoors for their heady scent, says Graham Rice

One of my earliest memories is of looking at the shelf in the back of the coal bunker to see how the hyacinths were coming along. My dad had put a shelf in there, in the dark, specially for my mum to line up a few bowls of forced bulbs.

It was a lesson in patience, and in managing disappointment – sometimes it went wrong. But when it worked…! “Let’s put some more in,” I’d beg. It was the fragrance, really, and the deep dark colour of those rich blue flowers. Back then I thought they only came in blue, as those were the only ones my mum grew. Now I know a little more about them – that’s a botanic garden training for you – and every winter I cheat: I buy some ready-for-the-light forced bulbs from my friendly local florist. But in the autumn, I also plant some in a container to place by the front door. All hyacinth varieties are deliciously scented. All are fully hardy and all reach 25-30cm in height. ‘Delft Blue’ is the first choice for trouble-free forcing.

And pots of hyacinths outdoors give one of the few uses for modern dwarf forget-me-nots. They’re just too compact for borders – dumpy would be a less complimentary word – but pink or white hyacinths are just the right height for their flowers to emerge above the dwarf blue forget-me-not cloud.

■ Position Site outdoor bulbs in a sheltered place to concentrate the fragrance.

■ Care Wear gloves when handling dry hyacinth bulbs as they can cause skin irritation. Feed forced bulbs after flowering, then plant them out in the garden.

■ Where to buy jacquesamandintl.com, 020 8420 7110; farmergracy.co.uk, 0330 808 7304; peternyssen.com, 0161 747 4000

VISIT gardenersworld.com/growhyacinths for more advice on the various ways to grow and force hyacinths