Table of Contents

GROWING HYACINTHS, HYACINTHUS / Liliacese

HOW TO GROW HYACINTH:

Although hyacinths bulbs have invisible barbs on their surface that can cause some people’s skin to itch, hyacinth are choice container plants. It is planted as annuals in warmer none-freezing winter area where the bulb will just deteriorate after bloom. And used as perennials in sub-zero winters area. The most popular and the showiest of the hyacinth is the fat-spiked Dutch hybrids called H. Orientalis, commonly known for its highly fragrant flowers. It grows to a foot tall, with arching, strap-like leaves, its has small bell like flowers that face outwards.   All hyacinths can easily be grown either in ground outdoor or in containers indoor were it is sunny and cool. Most hyacinths bloom in late march or early April.  You can also grow hyacinths in water in special hyacinth glass with bottom filled with pebbles and water. keep in cool, dark place until rooted, move to lighted place when the growth appears; then move to sunny place beside window when leaves turned uniformly green.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF HYACINTH:

H. amethyystinus – also called blue bells.
H. azureus –Grape hyacinth, very long lived
H. orientalis – Dutch the largest and showiest hybrids, great for massed beds and borders.  
H. orientalis albulus – Roman or French Roman hyacinth smaller than Dutch hybrids, it is good for naturalizing beneath deciduous trees or none-ever green trees. It is a small plant with 15 bell shaped flowers per stem, recurved pedals with a sweet fragrance. Some blue species: Bismarck, blue blazer, blue haze, blue jacket, blue magic, blue peter, blue star, borah, city of bradford, concorde, cote d’azur, crystal palace, debutante, delft blue diana, kronos and marie, Some pink, red, and purple species: apple blossom, amerthyst, chestnut flower, china pink, distinction, eddison, fondant, hollyhock, jan bos, la victoire, lord balfour, mulberry rose, pink pearl, rosalie, splendid cornelia, top hit, violet pearl, odysseus, sunflower, yellow hammer, yellow queen.  Some white species: acilos, ben nevis, carnegie, coloseum, crustal snow, grand blanche imperiale, l’innocence, madame kruger, madame sophie, mont blanc, pallas, polar giant, snow blush, snow queen, snow white, white pearl,

SIZE:           6 to 12 inches
BLOOM TIME:      Spring
LIGHT:           Full sun
TIME TO PLANT:   Autumn, September to October in cold areas, October to December in mild areas
COLORS:          Purple, blue, red, pink, buff, salmon, cream, yellow, white                           
SOIL TYPE:       Well-drained slightly sandy soil.
PLANT DEPTH:     3 to 6 inches, 3 to 6 inches apart, depending type on size of bulb
HARDINESS:       -10 degree F to -30 degree F/ -23 degree C to  -35 degree C depending to type

HOW TO PLANT & CARE FOR HYACINTH:

The Dutch hybrids must be planted early enough to establish vigorous roots before the ground freezes in winter. If winter temperatures drop below 20 degrees F / - 7 degrees C, set bulbs out in your garden during early autumn; while in warmer regions, you may plant late autumn when the warms of summer has gone in order to keep the bulbs cool. Choose a sunny area with slightly sandy well-drained soil, dig in a lot of organic matter such as earthworm casting and compost before planting. Plant the larger bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep and 5 to 6 inches apart while the smaller bulbs 3 inches deep and 4 inches apart. Add 10 to 20 pieces of live earthworms to the soil after you plant and water the planted bulbs. Keep soil moist after planting so that the roots will become established. When the leaves emerge during growth, continue regular watering until flower fade and the foliage turns yellow. All hyacinths can be grown in container culture for one season only, after flowering, it should be planted in the garden.  If you are planting hyacinths in container, do a well-drained potting mix. Plant bulbs by setting them closely but not touching each other, in our potting mix below, fill in the bulb with this potting mix until barely covering them then cover the containers with sawdust or dried leaves to keep temperatures even. Then place containers in cool place for around 2 to 3 months. When growth begins; move the containers to filtered sun location until buds begin to show color, then move them to desired display location. After blooms fade, plant these bulbs in your garden for 2 or 3 years will re-store the food and energy requirement of “forcing”.