Saturday 26 January 2013

Hyacinths


In Vintage Chic by Christina Strutt there is a whole chapter called "Living with flowers" all about Christina's passion for flowers and the subtle way in which they can bring a room to life. After reading this chapter and gazing at the photos I was inspired to try to keep flowers in the cottage for as much of the year as I can.
A cold, grey January always makes me long for spring and there is nothing more spring-like to me than the sight of a  chartreuse green shoot emerging from a onion-shaped bulb. So I've potted up a couple of pearly white hydrangeas; their sweet scent fills the sitting room and dining room and make me smile each time I catch a whiff of it. On the dining table they sit in a pretty French breakfast bowl that my husband and I picked up from a street market while we were in Paris.


While in the sitting room the sit in vintage French jam jars I bought last year topped with gravel retrieved from under the snow in the garden! I love the way hyacinths look just before they begin to open. The tightly furled buds in their green casings always remind me of a bunch of grapes.


And now, leaning languorously as they come to full bloom, I find my eyes are also drawn to the thin, milky roots that wind themselves through the gravel and push up against the glass. It's quite strange seeing something that is usually hidden by soil displayed for all to see.


9 comments:

  1. I love the scent of hyacinths and I love how you have displayed them on your mantlepiece.
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  2. A lovely display of my one of my most favourite flowers, Hyacinths! I love growing them in glass bowls and seeing the roots curve around the pebbles.

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  3. Lekker en leuk. Groetjes Wilma

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  4. Hyacinths are certainly beautiful with a lovely scent. Yours are dispayed so nicely and the bowl is charming. It certainly seems like a very cold winter. Have a nice Sunday.

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  5. The Hyacinths in the glass jars look fantastic. Forgive my ignorance but do they not need soil? How do you grown them in glass bowls?

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    1. Hi,

      I was surprised too, but the hyacinths don't seem to need soil. In fact they don't really need anything apart from water! The gravel is there mainly to stop keep the bulbs upright but moss would look nice as well.

      Charlotte

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  6. I love hyacinths too and have lots about the house panted up in various containers including syrup and treacle tins!

    Enjoy your weekend
    Claire xxx

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  7. Hi,your Hyacinths are lovely the ones in the vintage jars are so very unusual.I like your clock too.Kind Regards Pam.

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  8. What a lovely blog you have - your home looks so warm and welcoming. I have a pot of hyacinths on my kitchen table and even when it's murky outside the scent makes me smile. I'm off for a nosey now x

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