The hyacinth drives away the winter melancholy with its colorful flower clusters. Let yourself be surprised at how easy this enchanting spring flower is to plant and care for.
How do I care for hyacinths properly?
The hyacinth is a perennial, hardy bulb flower that blooms in spring. It thrives best in humus-rich, sandy-loamy soil and prefers sunny to partially shaded locations. Care includes regular watering, occasional fertilizing and removing wilted flower heads.
Planting hyacinths correctly
Plant a fresh hyacinth bulb in a sunny to partially shaded location in the garden in October/November. The flower thrives in any good garden soil that is humus and sandy-loamy. The ideal planting depth is twice the diameter of the bulb. If you enrich the excavation with compost and add a little gravel to the planting hole, the hyacinth will find perfect growth conditions.
Care tips
So that the hyacinth welcomes spring with its opulent flower heads, the care effort is within a manageable range. How to cultivate the flower professionally:
- Water regularly from the beginning of budding until the end of the flowering period
- Fertilize with compost every 14 days or use pond water for watering
- Cut off wilted flower heads to prevent the energy-sapping seed formation
- Prune close to the ground when all leaves have drawn in
- Winter protection only recommended in areas at high risk of frost
Ideally, the onion remains in the ground until the next season. Alternatively, the hyacinth spends the summer in a cool, dry cellar to be replanted in autumn.
When is flowering time?
In the bed and pot in the open air, the flowering period of a hyacinth extends from March to May. Anyone who grows the flower in the house according to the old tradition can enjoy the pretty bell-shaped flowers from January onwards.read more
Cut hyacinth correctly
If the flowers have withered, they can be cut off. This makes sense above all to prevent seed formation. The leaves, however, remain on a hyacinth until they are completely dead. Until then, the onion will absorb all remaining nutrients in order to create an energy reserve for the next season.read more
Watering hyacinth
Water a freshly planted hyacinth only now and then until the first shoots appear. The amount of water then increases slightly because the substrate should not dry out. It is important to note that the onion is not poured directly. There is no need for water during the summer break outside the bed.read more
Wintering
The hyacinth is completely hardy. Therefore, no explicit protective measures are required in the bed. If in doubt, pile up a freshly planted onion with some leaves or straw to prepare it for the first winter. In the pot, the flower spends the cold season in the cool, dark cellar until it sprouts.read more
Propagate hyacinth
The simplest form of propagation is achieved using daughter bulbs. These develop on the mother bulb after flowering. In autumn, dig up the tuber and cut off the bulbs at the base with a sharp, disinfected knife. Planted in small groups at the new location, they will delight next year as small islands of flowers.read more
Hyacinth in a pot
A hyacinth has the potential to live for several years. In order for it to perform this miracle in the pot, the following measures must be observed:
- October/November is the best time to plant hyacinths in pots
- Create drainage over the water drain with pebbles
- Use good compost-based potting soil as a substrate, mixed with a little sand
- Plant a fresh onion 8-10 cm deep with the tip upwards and water a little
The flower spends the following 10-12 weeks in the pot in the dark, cool basement and is only watered now and then. When the onion sprouts, the hyacinth goes on the bright, warm windowsill. From March the flower can be placed on the sunny balcony. After flowering, reduce the amount of water until the plant is dry. The hyacinth rests in the cool, dark cellar until the next round begins in autumn.read more
Is hyacinth poisonous?
All parts of a hyacinth plant contain toxins, such as salicylic acid and other pungent substances. Toxic saponins are concentrated in the seeds and onions, so consumption causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms of poisoning. Direct contact of plant sap with the skin causes an allergic reaction known as hyacinth scabies.read more
Is the hyacinth poisonous to cats?
While the hyacinth is classified as slightly toxic to humans, this does not apply to cats. If your velvet-pawed roommate nibbles on the flower or even the onion, this will have dire consequences. Symptoms of poisoning occur, such as salivation, vomiting and cramps. Therefore, you should avoid cultivating this flower around cats.read more
The hyacinth family
The botanists renamed the formerly large family of hyacinths Scilloideae. Nevertheless, the hyacinth is still related to well-known garden flowers, such as harebells (Hyacinthoides), grape hyacinths (Muscari) or squills (Scilla), all of which thrive as bulbous plants.read more
The Hyacinth: A Profile
One look at the profile of a hyacinth is enough to recognize the remarkable talents of the classic herald of spring. These attributes particularly catch the eye:
- Perennial bulb flower with a lifespan of up to 15 years
- Native to the Orient and the Mediterranean
- Flowering period from February/March to May/June
- Growth height from 15 to 30 cm
- Rapey inflorescences blue, yellow, red, pink, white
read more
The hyacinth bulbs
When purchasing hyacinth bulbs, don't grab the first offer that comes along. The higher the quality of the planting material, the more you will enjoy the flower in the bed and planter. The onion skin should not show any damage. In addition, a juicy, plump appearance is desirable.
Also take a look at the recommended usage. Garden centers often sell prepared hyacinth bulbs that are explicitly intended for indoor cultivation and are less suitable for outdoor use.read more
How to store the onions
You store the bulbs of a hyacinth professionally in a cool, dark room. Here it spends the summer on an airy basement shelf or wrapped in newspaper. To ensure that the flower survives this period unscathed, experienced hobby gardeners store the bulb in a box with dry sand.
The hyacinth in the garden
The hyacinth is particularly easy to care for in the garden. In a sunny to semi-shaded location in sandy-loamy soil, water it from time to time if the natural rainfall is not sufficient. A portion of compost every 14 days until the end of flowering is sufficient to provide nutrients. If all parts of the plant have withered, cut them off close to the ground.read more
Is the hyacinth perennial?
The hyacinth is one of the perennial bulbous plants. Once planted in the ground, the flower reappears every spring for many years.read more
Is the hyacinth hardy?
Although the flower fades at the end of spring, the underground bulb proves to be frost-resistant. Only in rough locations should it be covered with leaves or brushwood in winter. Temperatures of up to -18 degrees Celsius do not pose a problem for hyacinths.read more
Can the hyacinth tolerate frost?
The hyacinth is completely frost-resistant in the bed. Only in the first winter do we recommend a protective cover made of straw, leaves or needles in rough locations.read more
This is how the hyacinth grows
The ancient art of growing hyacinths is experiencing a brilliant comeback. As soon as the garden calms down in autumn, knowledgeable gardeners do not plant the bulbs in the ground. Instead, do this:
- Pour boiled water into a special hyacinth jar
- Place the onion in the bowl, keeping a distance of 0.5 to 1 centimeter from the water
- Store in a dark place at 5-8 degrees Celsius for 8-12 weeks
- Then put a pretty drive cap on the onion and place it brighter
If the cones lift up, they have completed their task. Now the flower spends the day on the sunny windowsill to show off its colorful colors. If you move to a cooler location at night, the flowering period will be extended by several days. Following the spectacle, the hyacinth moves into the bed to announce spring for many years.read more
Hyacinth jar
There is a suitable hyacinth glass to discover for every interior design trend. From futuristic-modern design to nostalgic-authentic style, anything you like is allowed for this purpose, as long as the following requirements are met:
- The upper part is bowl-shaped and large enough for the flower bulb
- The bowl tapers downwards, similar to an hourglass
- The lower part of the hyacinth glass is bulbous to accommodate the root system
In a glass proportioned in this way, the onion does not come into contact with water. Nevertheless, the root strands grow freely into the bulbous lower part, without the need for a substrate for this process.read more
How to care for your hyacinth in a glass
For growing hyacinths in the glass to be successful, proper care is important. Cloudy water is replaced immediately so that no rot occurs. A small piece of charcoal keeps the water fresher for longer. The flower also enjoys a drop of liquid fertilizer once a week.
What to do when the hyacinth has faded?
Cut off the flower head as soon as the hyacinth has faded. Otherwise, the flower will invest an unnecessary amount of energy in producing seeds. The leaves, however, still remain in the bed so that the onion can assimilate all remaining nutrients.read more
What to do if the hyacinth in the pot has faded?
It would be a shame to throw away the hyacinth in the pot after it has bloomed. If you give the flower a little attention, it will continue to display its lavish blooms next year. How to do it right:
- If the hyacinth has faded in the pot, cut off the flower head
- Reduce the water supply gradually to zero
- Keep the flower completely dry, cool and dark
- First cut off the completely withered leaves
read more
The species of hyacinths
The hyacinth genus only includes 3 species. The garden hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), which migrated from the Orient, is widespread in our regions. The other species do not play an important role in cultivation in the ornamental garden.read more
The most beautiful varieties
- Blue Festival: a multi-stemmed variety with blue flowers in a loose arrangement from April to May
- Annamarie: the delicate flower enchants with pink flowers
- Top White: one of the largest varieties with white flowers and a height of up to 25 centimeters
- Carnegie: the white-flowering variety is particularly suitable for winter forcing
- Delft's blue: this hyacinth lives up to its variety name
