SWEETLY SCENTED, beautifully _ colored, and perfectly formed, hyacinths are the perfect floral an- tidote to the winter blues. Commercial growers now offer them in pots for sale in garden centres, super- markets and other retail stores throughout the winter in Canada. Hyacinth bulbs are a product of Holland. In fact, the Dutch have been growing and. hybridizing hy- acinths for about four centuries. They were developed from the species Hyacinthus orientalis, native to the Near East, especially Turkey and Iran. The original was a delicate plant with a slender stem about 25 cm (10 in.) tall, bearing only about a dozen nod- ding little bells of pale blue, mauve or white with a delicate . scent. By. contrast, today’s garden hybrids have sturdy :tems and massive flower stalks with dense spikes of florets in many shades of pink, red, white, blue, violet and yellow. Friday, January 31, 1992 — North Shore News ~ 24 HOME & GARDEN Hyacinths periect antidote to winter blues By the middle of the 18tn cen- tury, hyacinths were a recognized fashion flower, being grown both indoors and out, and remained so until the French Revolution. A favorite of Madame de Pom- padour, they were planted exten- sively in the palace gardens of Louis XV and the records show that in 1759 some 200 hyacinths were grown ‘‘in glasses’’ (i.e. special glass vases) during the winter. In fact, growing hyacinths in glass vases especially designed for that purpose has long been a popular method of cultivating them. They are the only bulb which is amenable to this treat- ment in which the _ plant’s beautiful root system is visible through the glass. If you still have some hyacinth bulbs that you neglected to plant in the garden earlier in the fall, you might want to try growing them yourself at home. To grow hyacinths in water, choose firm, unblemished bulbs. Fill the hya- cinth glass up to the neck with cold water, so that when the bulb is placed in the glass it is just ‘‘sniffing’’ the water — about % J Thrée workshops offered on parenting adopted children “IT’S. VERY importaet that ‘children know right from the start that they: are adopted,’”’ says Elsa Weinstein, instructor for one of three’ “upcoming - workshops ; on. ‘The mother of - an Weinstein ‘speaks from both per- _- -sonal and professional experience. Before’ age five to.-seven, ‘children: aren’t-‘upset by hearing. ’ their adoption, story. But after age even, -they begin to realize they’ve ‘: Jost'a birth parent, and, Weinstein 5 YS, Start the necessary process of led” “Pane starts © 3 and runs for four-. strengthening family life. thildren, ” “About aiopilen? ‘are both one- * day*Saturday:..workshops being held: Feb 15. and .March 7 respec- tively. The workshops | will . expiore children’s understanding of adop- tion, how to’share the adoption story, attachment. issues, inter- racial acoptions, and search and reunion. Also -being offered by NSFSS are. monthly information sessions . on “Adoption — Search and Re- union.” With the new opening of the government-sponsored Active | Adoption Reunion Registry, young adults and birth parents are ‘seeking .nformation on how to prepare themselves for- meeting “with their. biological halves. : .- North: Shore - Family . Services Society ‘is.a United Way member agency. dedicated to enriching and Their family life education courses are ‘. co-sponsored’ by Nosth Shore Continuing Education. For more: information cail 988-5281. Overflowing closets! Cieset. organisers . Custom buiit closet organisers & mirror doors — ’ Eliminate waste, space and mess Create. more useable space in any closet INSTALLED OR DO IT YOURSELF -WOODLINES Custom Built Furniture for the home & office Showroom Open Mon-Sat. CANADIAN CLOSET ‘A family owned business since 1984” 4385 Crown St. N. Van. 986-4263 cm (4 in.) space between them. A piece of charcoal in the water will help keep the water fresh. Some people believe the water should be changed regularly, but the bulb will grow roots and begin to sprout even without changing the water, as long as the water is kept topped up. If you don't have a real hyacinth glass, you can use any glass jar and make a plastic or cardboard ‘‘collar’? to support the bulb above the water line. After planting your hyacinth bulbs, place them in a cool, dark, airy place, as you would any bulbs potted in soil for forcing. The room temperature should be ap- proximately 9°C (48°F). Hya- cinths require from 10 to 13 weeks of cold storage prior to forcing. When the flower bud is well emerged from the neck of the bulb it is time to bring the hya- cinths into the warmth and light to force the flower to emerge. Ac- tually, gentle persuasion might be a better term than force because it takes several weeks of increasing the light and temperature to cause the bulb flower to bloom suc- cessfully. In addition to growing them in water, hyacinths are easily forced in pots or other containers. Just pot them up in ordinary potting soil and follow the cold period in- structions above. Don't forget to label each container with the variety, color, planting and anti- ¢ bevelled glass «27° wide © 6X40WN downlight suc? 198° CHANDELIER 0 39H x 16°W © Sx60W lights ASK ABOUT OUR LOWER “BUILDER” PRICES cipated removal date. When the rooting time has passed, bring the potted bulbs-into the warmth and light and begin the process of coaxing your dramatic hyacinth bulbs into glorious bloom. HALOGEN TRACK-LIGHTS SALE $5990 FROM HALOGEN DESK LAMPS sac SQB90 r\ FROM 7 LASMet 2390 East Hastings ad éffects (just over 2nd. Narrows Bridge) * corner of Hastings & Nanlamo, turn right at Hastings ‘ . 3 DAYS ONLY! 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