<p>These well-known and often requested spring bulbs are popular for their fragrance and formal shapes. Even beginning gardeners can be successful with these easy-to-grow fool-proof bloomers. All these colours coordinate well with many of the strong tulip colours which flower at the same time. They are also commonly used for forcing indoors, especially in hyacinth glasses. 'Woodstock' is a very dark red-violet, almost burgundy wine in colour.</p><p><b>Where to Plant:</b><br>Spring bulbs look great just about everywhere - in front of shrubs, along a walk or fence, around a tree or seat, in a flower border or rock garden. They look especially good naturalised in a more informal planting. For the most dramatic effect, plant them in groups of ten or more to give blocks of colour.<br><b>Light Requirements:</b><br>Most bulbs need sunshine at least several hours a day, although some do well in the partial shade under deciduous trees as the flowers will have finished and the bulbs starting to prepare for dormancy before the trees have fully leafed out.<br><b>Soil Requirements:</b><br>Good drainage is very important or the bulbs will simply rot in the gound. Choose a site where water does not stand and the soil is not soggy. Well drained soil on a gentle slope is ideal. To improve heavy soil, work in generous amounts of peat moss, compost or sand. Build a raised bed bordered by rocks or railroad ties for problem areas.<br><b>When to Plant:</b><br>Store the bulbs in a cool place (55 - 60 F) until they are ready to plant. Plant spring-flowering bulbs when the soil cools to below 60 degrees F but before the ground freezes. In most Northern regions, this is late September to late November, depending on your area.<br>In warm climates, store the bulbs in an open container in the vegetable compartment of your refridgerator for six to eight weeks, to simulate the chilling they would normally receive in the ground. Make sure not to put the bulbs next to any ripe fruit such as tomatoes, apples or pears since the gas emitted can injure the flower bulbs. Plant the bulbs on a cool day in late November or December.<br><b>How to Plant:</b><br>First loosen the soil by digging to at least several inches below the depth of the bulbs. Mix in some lime and organic matter to improve the soil as needed. Plant the bulbs with the pointed end up, large bulbs about 8 inches deep, small bulbs about 5 inches deep. Deeper planting keeps the bulbs from freezing in extremely cold climates, and keeps them cooler in warm climates. Space the bulbs far enough apart that the flowers will not be crowded, but close enough that the planting will look full. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths should be planted about 8 inches deep, and 5-6 inches apart for best effect and success. After working up your soil, excavate the area to the proper depth, place the bulbs in the bottom and backfill the soil. You can use a bulb planter or trowel to dig individual holes for each bulb, or make a large trench for many bulbs at a time. For even flowering, be sure the bulbs of the same kind are all at the same depth. After planting, water thoroughly and mulch to 3 inches over the bed.<br><b>After Blooming Care:</b><br>When the bulbs have finished flowering, they are still growing for 4-6 weeks, storing food and forming next year's flowers. Good care at this time is very important for vigorous blooms the following spring. Remove the dead flowers so the bulbs won't spend their energy making seeds, unless you are planning to increase your number of bulbs by letting some of them seed themselves around naturally. You may wish to give them a dilute feeding at this time to help them along. Allow the foliage to yellow and wither naturally, make sure you don't cut the leaves off or tie them up until they are completely brown and dry. Leave the bulbs in the ground through the summer, and they will bloom again next spring without any further care.</p><p>Through most of the 18th and 19th centuries, the hyacinth was the most popular of bulbs. Like tulips, hyacinths were used sparingly in American gardens until the Victorian bedding craze, when they were plunked in the middle of the lawn en masse in cookie-cutter-shaped beds. Since then, hyacinths, legendary for their fragrance, have been in bad odor. As plantsman John Wister wrote in Bulbs for American Gardens in 1930, 'Few flowers have suffered more unjustly ... on account of a revulsion of taste against the circles, half-moons, crescents, stars, and other atrocities that were cut in lawns in bygone days and filled with hyacinths.'</p>
