Antique Amethyst Glass Vase BK Bliss

The base is embossed with “ BK Bliss Springfield Mass”.
Found some info on the company but still trying to figure the production period of this piece. Must be around 1870’s as if not wrong the company moved to NY about that time.

 

I can only find a BK Bliss & Sons who sold plants & seeds. Where did you find info on one who made glass?

 

Looking at the upper rim, wonder if this didn't once have a lid?

 

I have no idea who made the glass. But whoever did, must have been before the company moved to NY.
Also, don’t know if this is an advertising piece or they actually sold something in the container.
Could it be a vase for hyacinth?

 

If it was made for, rather then by, Bliss, this seems like a good suggestion. A bulb forcing vase, quite a fancy one.

 

As with everything, there are collectors. Author says these are English:

 

PDF of a B.K. Bliss catalogue 1874-1875, second page has hyacinth glass.

http://dafflibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/B.-K.-Bliss-Sons-Autumn-Catalogue-1874-75-New-York.pdf

 

Not for forcing, but for indoor growing. I've used them for just that purpose.

 

The catalogue also says Tye's pattern, so George Piercy Tye as the maker.

 

Thanks for the Pdf. So, they sold glass as well. 1874 with the NY address.
I think I got all the info I need.
George Piercy Tye, so it was made in England?

 

As an apartment dweller, I think of them as the same thing. Lets you have spring bulb flowers indoors ahead of the season. Perhaps gardeners use the term differently?

 

Really great research. Aundverkaufen, thanks.

 

Forcing, in gardener speak, means to bring on a crop or flower WELL in advance of its normal time. Like rhubarb, which you cover, for example.

Forced hyacinths are specially prepared and treated bulbs so that they flower for Christmas, but that's nothing to do with using a vase to grow them. Indeed, they're best grown in compost. You also have to start them in a dark cool place for some weeks. I do it every year.

Bulb vases are basically a novelty way of growing any bulb indoors.

 

So when a friend gave me a Christmas gift of paperwhite bulbs & carefully selected pebbles to cover the bottom of a shallow glass bowl so I could have flowers in my bedroom in February, was that forcing or growing indoors?

 

Growing indoors. Paperwhite will flower here outside in February, they're tough beggars. If she'd bought you prepared bulbs that had flowered at Christmas, that's forcing!

Gardening picky semantics.

 

I force tulips every year. In the fall I buy early flowering tulips, plant them in a plastic flower pot, water them and put them in the shed for 3 or 4 months. Bring them out, water them, put them in a sunny window and a few weeks later I have a pot of tulips.

Then I plant the spent bulbs in the garden. I'm slowly building up quite a variety of tulips. Now if the deer would only leave them alone I would have lots of cut flowers every year

 

I do that, but I don't need to bring them inside. London is relatively mild and of course, tulips came from a cool climate. Mine go in tubs outside in about November or so and usually flower outside in early March unless it's freezing. I do get erly varieties.

My snowdrops, on the other hand, are a swathe of glory this year. In bloom outside since Christmas.

Tip: when you plant the tulip bulbs outside, put a loose covering of plastic netting round them. That stops the buggers munching.