Heavenly Hyacinths

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Garden Tips

• Plant bulbs in containers for patio or front-door enjoyment.
• Add snapdragons, pansies, and violas for fall, winter, and spring color.
• Decorate interiors with new houseplants for the holidays.
• Spray peach and nectarine trees with copper spray to prevent peach leaf curl.
• Tie red raspberry canes to wires and prune to 1 foot above the top wire.

About Hyacinths

The Hyacinth family is small compared to other bulbs, native to the Mediterranean and South Africa. Dutch growers popularized them in the 18th century, cultivating 2,000 varieties in Holland. The Dutch hyacinth features a dense spike of star-shaped flowers in white, yellow, salmon, pink, blue, purple, or near-red, prized for its strong fragrance.

Holland’s soil and climate make it ideal for hyacinth production, and most bulbs sold in the U.S. are imported from there.

Planting Instructions

• Plant bulbs 4–6 inches deep and 6–8 inches apart in sunny, well-drained beds or borders.
• Use in formal plantings or near doorways to enjoy their fragrance indoors.
• Mix with tulips, daffodils, pansies, or primroses for a casual look.
• Hyacinths make excellent cut flowers.

Forcing Hyacinths Indoors

• Start bulbs in early September for Christmas blooms; pot new batches every few weeks through November.
• Use pots with planting medium so bulb tops sit even with the rim (1 bulb per 4-inch pot, 3 per 6-inch pot).
• Grow in hyacinth vases (special glass containers with a pinched neck).
• Store in a cool, dark place (35–48°F) for 13 weeks to root, then move to light for blooms in 2–3 weeks.
• After blooming, plant outdoors; many will flower again in 1–2 years.

Design Ideas

• Plant in clumps of single colors or contrasting masses for bright garden displays.
• Forced hyacinths fill indoor spaces with fragrance.