The curious tale of bulbs on water

Hello, glass of hyacinth anyone?

It is a wonderful time of year, where my love of horticulture fuses with my mam's passion for glass collecting. Together we start the process, in a chilly October garage, of forcing hyacinth bulbs in vintage  'Bulb Vases'. Fueled by steaming cups of tea (not hyacinths - they are poisonous!), the vases are pulled out of storage and we carefully wash and dry them all. Matching yellow jumper alert! (If we were off to town together, I'd make mam change!)

We then fill them with water, almost to the top, but making sure that the bulb we place on the top does not contact with the water, else it rots. This year's bulbs have been treated to two months, in a paper bag, in the fridge. You can buy pre-treated bulbs, but they are more expensive. Look at this lovely plump bulb eager to send its roots out. (Please note, hyacinth bulbs can be a skin irritant to some. I've got old boot skin, so they don't bother me)

The vases and bulbs then sit in the cold and dark garage, until the white roots form and there is at least one inch of bud growth on the top. They are then brought inside, placed on a warm, light window ledge and some time in December- voila .... they flower... filling the house with amazing colour and scent. Just what we need to help cheer us up this coming winter.

<I will try to find an old picture of them in bloom>

This year we are staggering the process, just starting off a handful at a time, as on previous years they have all bloomed at the same bloomin' time and there just hasn't been enough space on the window sills. As you can see, my mam has amassed quite a collection over the years...

Probably one of the oldest and most innovative bulb vases in the collection, is one marked with 'Tye'. George Percy Tye was a Birmingham industrialist and enthusiastic gardener who registered his design in 1850. The wider, flat bottomed base stopped the flowers toppling over, a problem that occurred in the slimmer conical vases. His design was so successful, it was much copied and 'Tye' went on to refer to the name of the actual shape. 

Above: Green 'Tye' Bulb Vase. Below: Tye's original design shows an adjustable wire support. 

Tye cleverly utilised Birmingham's hive of metalworks, as well as glass houses.  Unfortunately our vase is missing the support.

 

I have been learning all about the history of bulb vases in Patricia Coccoris' book - 'The Curious History of The Bulb Vase'. Holland born Patricia grew up and still lives in the historical bulb growing region of Haarlem, but her interest in George Percy Tye brought her to England for her incredible, meticulous research. 

I thought it wonderful that Patricia traced Tye's family line to the present day: Alison Saville-Tye, a landscape designer working in yorkshire and John Tye - owner of Lea Gardens in Derbyshire, which is open to the public. Patricia writes - 'Neither Alison nor John was aware of their famous great-great-grandfather, who has such a passion for gardening in every form, but is evident that they inherited his genes'. Anyone who has ever tried to frustratingly research their own family history must appreciate how satisfying it must have been to be contacted by Patricia!

In Britain, the Victorians obsession with the natural world combined with the Second Industrial Revolution and free trade following the Napoleonic Wars, meant more bulb vases were produced here than anywhere else. 

Between 1820 and 1890 the hyacinth became the most fashionable flower. For the first time ever, bulbs appeared as an affordable option in amateur gardening catalogues and publications. Indoor bulb forcing was also considered a more 'ladylike' gardening pursuit, where it was acceptable to remove mold from a bulb using a silk handkerchief and grow it in a beautiful vase, which could also double up as a cut flower vase in the summer months.

Patricia is quick to point out that bulb growing experimentation can be traced further back, and many cultures and generations have held a long fascination with the magic of bulbs on water.

 

In other under cover Long Mizzle gardening news... I have been busy sowing some flower seeds from Higgledy Garden for next year's cut flower patch. 

Sweet peas, Cornflower, Dill, Scabiosa, Candytuft, Nigella, Larkspur, Achillas... all happy to be sown in the autumn.

An autumn sowing of Ammi Majus gave spectacular results one year. Sweet peas I have tried in October before, as well as calendula, but the rest I usually sow in spring.

The green house is bursting full, so some sowings are having VIP (Very Important Plant) treatment on the bedroom window ledge. "The pots of mud are back" says Monsieur. Well it seems to be working, as many have already germinated after just three days. I'll keep you updated on the bulbs and the seeds.

Over the next few days, I will be having an autumn wardrobe sort out. Time for all of my hats and jumpers to come out. 

What are you up to?

Take care, laugh like a nutter and hope to see you soon,

Lulu xXx

As always, please drop me a message to say hello if you have stopped by!

Latest posts here - https://longmizzle.blogspot.com