Hyacinths for a colourful winter

Today, hyacinths are so popular that it's hard to imagine these bulbs being so exclusive that only the wealthy could afford to buy them. So aren't we lucky? After all, their curly little florets add a nice bit of sparkle an colour to these gloomy months.

The hyacinth's original habitat is the Mediterranean region (Turkey, Syria and Lebanon) but traders brought it to Europe. Hyacinths are most commonly seen in pink, blue and white. Nowadays, however, they are becoming available in more and more colours like lilac, red and yellow. These flowers symbolise peace, and their fragrant flowers emerging from a bulb, as if by magic, are just right for expressing the Christmas message of new life.