Hyacinth Vases

I was lucky enough to find another Byzanta Ware hyacinth vase on ebay this week. I have never found anything about these - aside from my own experiences.

gold rim, unlike my other two

base with Byzanta Ware mark, including Grimwade's Stoke-on-Trent

I also a blue lustre and an orange flowered Byzanta Ware hyacinth vases.

base of the orange flowered vase

base of the blue lustre vase

I found this on ebay recently and recognised it as a glassroots hyacinth vase although it is unmarked. I feel sure it is glassroots as the shape, weight and even the water staining which the glassroots vases seem to suffer from is so distinctive of the glassroots vases. I also have a lime green one unsigned of this shorter vase and a cranberry signed glassroots taller vase. Will photograph them all together. 

I bought a few crocus vases recently (3 on the right) and wanted to compare crocus vase shapes. Left to right, a common crocus vase shape. I have 10 of these vases. A slightly larger vase, I have 4 of these. Cranberry glassroots crocus vase, similar to the glassroots hyacinth vase. Clear vase, similar to the glassroots but lighter and thinner glass. Uranium acorn? vase. I just bought it on ebay so have not tried it with a crocus bulb but it seems smaller than even the other small vases so maybe for acorns.

no sooner than I took the photo above, I found a few more vases in the cellar, the black vase in the centre is by Haven Pottery (see label below), the engraved amber vase on the left I have used in past years for crocus forcing, the Dartington vase next, not sure I've used or not - must organise the crocus forcing better so I have all the vases organised and ready at the right time in August / September when I have crocus bulbs to start

The Haven Pottery crocus vase label on the base, I think I bought this in the past year but forgot about it and didn't use it for a crocus bulb this year, will try to next year

polished pontil mark on the base of the engraved amber vase

I also bought the cranberry vase below with "prong" trailing and other vases for size comparison.

all my previous crocus vases

I have never seen clear versions of these hyacinth vases. I was wondering their vintage. They don't seem to be very modern. Cobalt blue vase to the right for comparison.

I don't know the correct term for this vase decoration or if there even is a term for it, I call it "pronged".

I just got this cranberry vase and realised I have a few other vases with this type of decoration, all of which I use for hyacinth forcing. I don't know if it's an "official" hyacinth vase (i.e. made for forcing hyacinths) but I think it might be, the yellow vase I don't know either although I suspect not and the two on the right I don't think were made as hyacinth forcing vases although those prongs seem perfect - to me - for holding a hyacinth bulb.

I put the blue squat vase next to the cranberry vase to show relative sizes. I don't have any more hyacinth bulbs to use this year to try the new one but it seems a perfect size and shape to me and I will definitely be using it next year. When there's snow outside and it's so cold is the best time to have hyacinths growing inside.

It's the time of year to start thinking about hyacinth vases and forcing hyacinths in them, especially for Christmas. I ordered my hyacinth bulbs the end of July . I've bought a few hyacinth vases on ebay recently - totally unnecessary as I have lots of hyacinth vases but I just couldn't resist.

Looking at each in detail, my regular blog readers will know I have a particular love of terracotta hyacinth vases and have a few of them but I didn't have this kind until I bought this Prattware hyacinth vase on ebay. I recognised the pattern as I have another piece in the range, a tobacco jar I think, must dig out a photo.

cobalt blue Victorian teardrop hyacinth vase

Broste Copenhagen jack-in-the-pulpit hyacinth vases. I loved these since I first saw other examples on ebay years ago and was lucky enough to find some on ebay. So was happy to find these on ebay recently.

Quite happy to use anything that will hold a hyacinth bulb above water, in this case a vintage pickle jar. These Blue Jacket hyacinths have been great this year, a few have had double stems.

another improvised hyacinth vase in the centre, it's small but has enough room for the roots, more usual hyacinth vases either side

I enjoy using my antique and vintage hyacinth vases - and the odd modern one - and vases that aren't even hyacinth vases - whatever takes my fancy.

I have 90-some hyacinth vases so most of the year they are in boxes in my cellar. After using them for forcing and washing them out before I put them away, is a time to enjoy the vases themselves without any distractions. These tall hand-blown 19th century vases are my favourite, especially in cobalt blue. I do wish my camera could capture the colour better - an intense purpley blue. Some of the amethyst vases are exquisite as well. Amber is not my favourite haycinth vase colour but this vase on the left is such a great example of a hand-blown antique hyacinth vase, I still love it.

I'm lucky enough to have some short vases in that intense cobalt blue colour. My photo may not show it but there is variation in the colour of these, some are purple / blue some a more ordinary blue. (this photo was taken in January before these hyacinths bloomed)

black hyacinth vase, my latest purchase, a terracotta vase painted with very shiny black paint and transfer designs, 3 figures around the vase

Two's Company hyacinth vase

each side of the box

Two's Company also produced this design

hyacinths in bloom Christmas day 2021

I'm usually updating my bulb forcing site, www.gardenwithindoors.org.uk, where I show how I actually use the hyacinth vases but it's nice to have a review about hyacinth vases here as well.

These were my hyacinth vases and a bulb bowl out of the cellar (my cool dark place to start the hyacinths) on 10-1-2021. It shows the wide range of hyacinth vases. Back row, glassroots, Scandinavian style x-shape, green swept; front row, Byzanta ware, Past Times bulb bowl, Keil plastic hyacinth vase. Also visible on the windowsill in the background, Hornsea Cirrus bulb pot, Dartington neodymium. Directly behind on the windowsill is an amaryllis vase.

These were my spent hyacinths on 26-12-2020, again showing a range of vases in which to grow hyacinths. On the left are the dark red Woodstock hyacinths which did not do well this year. They did not grow taller than the leaves. The Carnegie white hyacinths, one in the black and white vase, did terribly this year. Delft Blue (some in bloom on the windowsill in the background) and Miss Saigon did well. The vases on the right at the back are newly out of the cellar and have not bloomed yet.

I love a wide range of hyacinth vases, both antique and modern. I quite like the Ravenhead Naturals hyacinth vases but they do not appear to be currently for sale. Right below is a blue Ravenhead Naturals hyacinth vase with a hyacinth ready to come out of the dark (taken beginning of December) showing the bulge of the flower grown out of the bulb in the stem. On the left is a Hornsea bulb pot in the Image design range.

The clear vase behind is a Ravenhead Naturals vase. I'll see if I have a better photo of it. It's rounded unlike the square design of the blue one above.

This year has been more challenging than usual with a new kitten, Rocky. Not easily having as many vases on display.