Delft Blue hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis 'Delft Blue') is a beautiful, soft lilac-blue flowered, short-lived perennial for Chicago-area gardens that flowers in early spring. The dozens of florets clustered around the central flower stalk are all wonderfully fragrant. A favorite for forcing indoors for winter bloom, this cultivar was introduced in the waning years of World War II by the noted Dutch flower breeder J.W.A. Lefeber. Plants survive outdoors in the Chicago area for four to five seasons, with the flowers in years two through five less densely packed on the flower spike, which looks more graceful in the garden.