Hyacinthus Blue Magic - Garden Hyacinth

The Hyacinthus orientalis Blue Magic is a recently obtained hybrid hyacinth, endowed with an unprecedented colour that was missing from this superb bulbous plant with its enchanting fragrance. There is a touch of magic in these beautiful dark blue flower spikes pierced by a pure white eye. They attract attention as much as they captivate, leaving a sweet and sugary scent in the air on mild days that seems to come from nowhere. It can be adopted both in the garden, in fertile and fresh but well-drained soil, and in pots for winter flowering indoors. Outdoors, it blooms in the middle of the hyacinth season, in March-April.

If the Oriental Hyacinth is almost no longer cultivated, this species native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions has given rise to countless highly appreciated cultivars in gardens for their delightful spring flowering or in floristry for their forcing ability. This botanical species can be found naturalized in France in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Alpes-Maritimes, and Lot-et-Garonne.

The Blue Magic hyacinth, just like it, belongs to the family of hyacinthaceae, or asparagaceae. It has a large oval bulb and forms a tuft of bright green ribbon-like leaves from spring onwards, from which a robust floral stem, 20 cm (8in) in length, emerges in March-April, bearing numerous close-packed, thick and iridescent bicoloured star-shaped flowers in a deep blue-violet shade. At the center of each flower shines a very white, very bright throat. The foliage is deciduous in summer and reappears at the end of winter.

Among early flowering plants, the hyacinth is one of the few bulbs with large flowers. Reserve a special place for it in your garden, not far from the entrance of your house, to enjoy its fragrance every time you pass by. It will bring spectacular splashes of colour to your flower beds. Hyacinths can easily be paired with other early bulbs such as Chionodoxas, hybrid crocuses, or early-flowering Tulipa humilis. Their flowers are edible, raw or cooked, and have a slightly mucilaginous texture. Depending on your preferences, you can crystallize them with sugar or incorporate them into fruit salads. In the past, they were considered a delicacy and could be found under the name of "candied hyacinths of Constantinople".