'Jan Bos'
Red Hyacinth
"Here in this sequester'd close
Bloom the hyacinth & rose."
-Henry Austin Dobson,
1840-1920
1840-1920
As with all Hyacinthus orientalis varieties, 'Jan Bos' does best in full sun, but tolerates some shade. It is deer-resistant because of its high oxalic acid content, sufficiently caustic that it is recommended to wash one's hands after planting the large bulb.
'Jan Bos' ranges from intensely scarlet to a rich deep pink with red hues, a color often called "spirea red." The enormous bright spring flowers stand a scant foot tall at the outside, often shorter, giving off a fabulous redolence that can be detected from a considerable distance throughout April.
Ours gets morning sun on a rockery ledge, overshadowed by a thinly limbed outstretching Butternut Winterhazel.
'Jan Bos,' named for its first cultivator, is an award-winning heirloom variety developed in 1910 & introduced to the gardening world in 1927. It remains year after year one of the most popular of all dutch hyacinth varieties.
Dutch hyacinths are the richest-scented of all spring bulbs. Even a small patch of hyacinths can make an entire garden redolent of the sweetest perfume. They make excellent container plants & are long-lasting as cut flowers. They are forcible indoors if first chilled to trick them into believing spring has sprung.