Hyacinths
Origins of Name
As an aside, the name comes from Hyakinthos – a young man accidentally killed by one of the Greek gods and from his spilt blood, this flower emerged.
Why Popular
This bulb is popular because it is 1) easy to grow, 2) is extremely fragrant and 3) comes in a wide range of colours.
Forcing Hyacinths
Forcing Hyacinths If you're interested in forcing these bulbs here's the basics about chilling and growing on.
Native To
H. orientalis is the common bulb in our gardens and this bulb is a west and central Asian plant (mostly in Turkey). You’ll appreciate that the Dutch flower bulbs you’re buying today have very little resemblance to the species bulb.
The modern flowers have been bred for increased size and fragrance and this breeding started back with the Greeks and Romans who grew this plant in very large quantities.
Planting
Plant in a sunny location, in well drained soils with decent fertility.
Excessive water will rot this bulb out.
Plant the bottom of the bulb approximately 6 to 7 inches deep
Plant 5 to 6 inches apart in clumps for a marvelous display.
Sunlight
The bulb will grow in light shade, for example morning shade or late evening shade.
You have a decision to make here. If you grow them in the shadier sections of your garden, the individual blooms will last longer on the bulbs in the spring as the hot sun does tend to shorten the bloom time. The downside to this is that the bulb itself will not thrive in the shade and will die out.
Growing Tips
If you need flowers for a special spring event, mass plant them anywhere you like and treat this bulb as an annual flower.
Grow as you would any spring flowering bulb, give lots of compost, do not water during the summer and allow the leaves to fully yellow and wither before you do any cultivating or cutting them back.
Propagation
You can easily propagate new plants by harvesting the little offsets that develop on the older bulbs.
After the plant is fully dormant, (late summer) you can dig the bulb and separate these small offsets.
It will take these small bulblets 2 to 3 years to develop enough size/strength to generate flowers.
You can also grow them from seed treating the seed as a perennial.
Most significant cultivars:
•'Atlantic': blue
•'Blue Jacket': deep blue
•'Delft Blue': blue
•'Ostara': deep violet-blue Mauve-violet:
•'Amethyst': lilac-blue
•'Anna Liza': blue
•'Splendid Cornelia': blue Red:
•'Amsterdam': deep carmine red
•'Hollyhock' deep red double flowers
•'Jan Bos': carmine red Pink:
•'Anna Marie': bright pink
•'Fondant': pink
•'Lady Derby': salmon pink
•'Marconi': deep pink
•'Pink Pearl': brilliant bright pink Yellow:
•'City of Haarlem': bright yellow Orange:
•'Gypsy Queen': salmon orange White:
•'Carnegie': pure white
•'L'Innocence': pure white
•'White Pearl': pure white
Trivia about Species
Hyacinthus multiflora is not exactly a species but is horticulturally a “group”. What this means is irrelevant to the average gardener as the growing conditions are the same as the regular hyacinth.
The difference is the flowers on the multiflora group are more numerous with multiple stems (smaller florets but more of them) These come in a wide range of colours as well and are equally worth growing.
Hyacinthus amethystinus is a small flowered hyacinth and while it is grown in exactly the same way as the H. orientalis varieties, it has an interesting growth habit. It looks like a bulbous bluebells rather than the large flowering hyacinth. An interesting plant and one worth having in the garden (comes in white or pale blue) but it is not as showy as those big hybrids.
If you want to ask a question about Hyacinths, click here
Need to Ask a Question About Hyacinths
If you have a question about growing hyacinths that's not covered in the website, this is the place to ask it.
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What Other Visitors Have Asked About Hyacinths
Click below to see what other gardeners have asked about hyacinths
Is it too cold for hyacinths
We are experiencing a change in the weather. I would like to know if the weather goes below 30 will they survive. They are planted outside.
Doug says ...
planting Hyacinths from seeds
How do I plant Hyacinths from seed pods?
Doug says that you treat them like any other perennial flower. See instructions here. You'll have to scroll ...
cut flowers after bloom
I understand not to cut the hyacinths green leaves until the yellow, but does that mean dont cut the flower once it blooms?
Doug says that after the ...
storing plant before fall planting
I recieved a potted Hyacinth plant and would like to plant it outdoors in the fall. What do I do with it in the meantime?
Doug says plant it outdoors ...
HOW TO STORE BULBS mY HUSBAND REMOVED THE FLAG POLE FROM THE MIDDLE OF MY BED THIS WEEK WHICH UPROOTED MOST OF MY BULBS, HYACYNTH AND DAFFODILLS, WHAT CAN I DO TO SAVE THME ...
Do Hyaciths re-bloom?
If the flowers are cut, do the hyaciths re-bloom?
Doug says that hyacinths will give you one bloom per year in either a single or multiple stem (depending ...
My hyacinth won't bloom I have several clusters of hyacinth that I transplanted from an old farm house. They bloomed every year there. We're only across the street, so the weather ...
When to plant a forced hyacinth outdoors
I was given two beautiful Hyacinth's as a departing gift. They have not failed in delighting and entoxicating my senses.
My question...They are withering ...
Hyacinths in India
Will hyacinth bulbs do well in temperatures as high as 30 deg centigrade?
Doug says if you start with pre-chilled bulbs, you can get one bloom from ...
hyacinth leaf cuttings
I have heard that it is possible to grow a hyacinth bulblet from a leaf cutting. Any special advice you can give?
Doug says there are two ways you can ...
treatment of potted hyacinth after flowering
how do i treat hyacinth bulbs after flowering ,so they flower the next year indoors?
Doug says that if you have them in pots, you have to give them ...
How many times will a hyacinth bloom in a year?
We have five hyacinths (light pink) that were given to us by our local hardware store. They are in five tiny individual plastic pots.
I can replant ...
Multiflora Hyacinths
Dear Doug,
I'm 20 years old and starting my first garden. I have always wanted hyacinths, but read they perform best their first year and are sometimes ...
i dug my hyacinths up to relocate them.
Is it too soon to dig the hyacinth bulbs for relocation?
At this point, should I store them in the freezer or put them back into the ground?
Doug ...
planting bulbs from potted plants
I have some pots of hyacinths and would like to plant them when and how?
Doug says - just about anytime that frost is over in your region and the plants ...
Are these hyacinth seed pods? My hyacinths (regular ones, not grape hyacinths) got these bulbous things in place of the flowers when the flowers faded and fell off. Do hyacinths reproduce ...
growing hyacinths from seeds
How, exactly, do I go about growing hyacinths from seeds? I am confused as to what it means to treat the seeds as a perennial.
Doug says that this ...
moving hyacinths in the spring after blooming I need to dig up and move my hyacinths now. They have only finished blooming for a week or two. I don't have a choice, it has to be done now and I do ...
bigger hyacinth blooms It seems as though every year, my hyacinths get smaller ans smlaaer flowers, so they now look like big grape hyacinths.I love them, and I love the big ...
Watering Hyacinths I have just received three flowering Hyacinth bulbs. They are merely sitting 1-3in down in what appears to be some dry soil. I am curious to know, as I ...
