Wild Hyacinth Lachenalia glaucina

Wild Hyacinth is a bulbous, perennial plant in the hyacinth family with large, 7 to 8 inch, showy flowers. It is native to the southwest cape provinces of South Africa. The flowers vary in color depending on the variety L. orchioides var. orchioides and L. orchioides var. glaucina.The flowers are directly attached to the plant, with no supporting stalk, and have a sweet aroma. The blooms appear in the fall, toward the end of the flowering season and fade to a dull red brown. The genus is named after Werner de Lachenal, a professor of Botany in Basel, Switzerland. The species name refers to the plant's orchid-like scent. The variety name refers to the blue-grey flowers of that variety.

Wild Hyacinth is typically restricted to the winter-rainfall parts of South Africa and Namibia on flats or stony slopes, shady habitats in rocky soils. Wild Hyacinth grows from a single white fleshy bulb, 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter with fine white adventitious roots. It is very easy to grow in a pot, fairly well-drained, with half coarse washed sand and half finely sieved compost in the lower two-thirds of the pot. The upper third should be pure sand with no loam or compost into which the bulbs are planted. This layer is kept dry to prevent the bulbs from rotting, while the roots penetrate the richer moister organic medium below. Keep the plants in full sun. They can be grown outdoors if the temperature does not drop below freezing. In summer, keep the bulbs dry and cool, stored in paper bags or in their pots. The plants should be repotted every 2 to 3 years with fresh medium.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Snails, caterpillars, and mealy bugs can be a problem. A rust fungus appears as orange blotches on the leaves, often developing where a leaf has been damaged. This is treatable with common fungicides.