Is anyone else as smitten with garden hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) as I am!? I remember my mom planting some every fall for spring color or occasionally forcing them in the fridge (in pots) for some nice, late winter fragrance inside the home. Aside from the wide range of colors available, I find the scent to be incredible and am not shy about cutting some for “olefactory bouquets”.
The fact that deer tend to leave them alone is another huge benefit. I manage the 3-acre healing garden at Edgerton Hospital and Health Services in Wisconsin. The 70 acre campus includes woodlands, farmland and a huge population of deer. We rely on daffodils (Narcissus) and ornamental onions (Allium) for spring color of course as they are truly left alone by deer. We don’t even bother with tulips (Tulipa). I was worried about hyacinths but after planting 8,000 of them last fall, we’re seeing very little nibbling on them as they start to flower! Fingers crossed! The fragrance of garden hyacinths will be very conspicuous out in the healing garden for patients, staff and visitors. Have you tried garden hyacinths at home? The variety in the photo is ‘Purple Sensation’.
