Hyacinths provide you with scented blooms in the middle of winter, and even before flowering they look beautiful, with their incredible roots twisting and weaving around the inside of the jar. Step 1: Fill a clean glass jar with water, stopping just short of the rim. Dry around the rim to ensure that the bulb will not get wet. Step 2: Place a hyacinth bulb on the rim of the jar, with the pointed end facing upward. If the roots of the bulb have already started to sprout, tuck them into the jar, being careful not to damage them. Ensure that the bottom of the bulb does not touch the water, remove the bulb and pour a little water out, dry the bulb as the bulb may start to rot if in direct contact with water. Step 3: To root, cover the vase with a paper bag and place in a cool dark place approximately 7°C (45°F) for 11 to 14 weeks. A refrigerator works fine if you banish apples and ripening fruit; they give off an ethylene gas harmful to young flowers. Check the water level periodically. Step 4: Check the bulb after a few weeks, by which time the roots should have grown and the bulb should have started to shoot. If it has not, simply leave it for a little longer. When the bulb has started to grow, bring it out into the light and remove the paper cover. Leave in a warm spot and within a few weeks (depending on the conditions) the hyacinth should flower. Aftercare Check the water level in the jars and top up if necessary. If the foliage develops much faster than the flower, put the bulb back into the dark for a few days, making sure it is in a cool spot. When the hyacinths have bloomed, cut off the dead flower and leave or a few weeks with the leaves in place, then either plant out in a sheltered spot in the garden or dry the bulbs out and store in a cool shed, ready to replant the following fall. Optional: add a dash of activated charcoal to keep water freshest, look for it in the fish department of pet shops.
