Hyacinth

This is a photo of some hyacinths I've grown from bulbs. The perfume from them is so fragrant, you can smell them as you walk through the door (better than any air freshener you can buy in the shops).

The word hyacinth comes from the Greek Hyakinthos, a handsome young man who in Greek mythology was loved by the sun god Apollo. One day they were practising throwing the discus but the jealous god of the West Wind, who was also in love with Hyakinthos, blew the discus back and it fatally wounded him. From his blood grew a flower which the god Apollo named after him.Origin: It was brought to Western Europe in the 16th century and was first cultivated in Austria in the 1500's. During the 17th and 18th centuries, like the tulip, it was to be found only in the collections of very rich flower collectors. Because of the hyacinth's pervasive perfume, the bulbs were exorbitantly expensive. The bulbs are now grown in Holland and Great Britain.Colour: Usually white, pink, peach and blue. More unusual colours to look for include dark wine purples , rosy reds, navy, egg-yolk yellows and soft oranges.

Settings

• Camera Olymus E500


• Aperture - f/8


• Shutter speed - 1/50 sec


• ISO-100


• Focal Length - 50mm


• Exposure compensation - 0.6 step

Looking closely inside the tiny floret of a hyacinth, it's like another world. It looks like some kind of tiny creature is making it's way out of it's hiding place..