Unfortunately, the flowering period of even the most beautiful hyacinth comes to an end in May. Many flower lovers then simply throw the potted plant away and buy a new flower the next season. This is not absolutely necessary. This is how you keep the hyacinth as a potted plant for several years.
What to do with a faded hyacinth in a pot?
After the hyacinth has bloomed, you should cut off the dead flowers but keep the green foliage. To keep the hyacinth for several years, you can plant it in the garden or provide it with a rest period, cold treatment and light for new growth in the pot.
Cut off spent flowers
Whether you keep the hyacinth in a pot or in the garden: When the flowers have bloomed, do not cut them too deeply. A piece of the stem should remain on the plant.
You should never remove the green foliage of the plant. Through them, the tuber absorbs nutrients. If you cut the leaves, the bulb will not have the strength to produce new flowers next year.
Caring for hyacinths in the garden after flowering
Once the hyacinth in the flower bed has finished blooming, it hardly needs any care anymore. At some point the foliage will turn yellow and shrink. The tuber goes into hibernation.
Since hyacinths are hardy and tolerate frost well, winter protection is not necessary.
You should carefully rake some ripe compost into the soil around the tubers in autumn so that the onion can sprout again next year.
Planting hyacinths in the pot after flowering
A good way to care for potted hyacinths for several years is to plant them outdoors when they have finished flowering.
In most cases, the hyacinth will sprout again next year and beautify the garden with its pretty flowers.
Keep hyacinth in pots for several years
Getting potted hyacinths to sprout next year is not that easy. The plant needs:
- Rest break
- Cold treatment
- Light for new growth
If you want to try making the hyacinth bloom in a pot for several years, send it into the dormant phase when it has finished flowering.
Place the planter in a shady place and stop watering completely. The earth must dry out.
No new growth without cold treatment
In October, remove any remaining leaves and place the tuber in new soil.
Place them in the vegetable drawer of the fridge for several weeks to stratify them. Without this cold treatment, the hyacinth will not produce flowers the following year.
Alternatively, you can place the covered tuber in the pot on the balcony or terrace for several days, even in sub-zero temperatures.
As soon as the first green tips appear, accustom the plant to warmer temperatures and water more frequently.
Tips & Tricks
If you have limited space in the flower bed, remove the tubers from the soil when the foliage is yellow. The onions are stored clean and dry in the cellar or garage over the winter. Then plant them again in autumn or spring.
