Big fat flower clusters of star-shaped, bell-shaped florets that can knock you over with their strong, sweet scent, Hyacinths are fan-favorite spring ephemerals! Strappy upright green foliage forms rosettes of greenery that the flower spikes rise from the center of to create a tidy package!
There are three main types of Hyacinth:
- Wild/Litvinov's Hyacinths (Hyacinth litwinovii) are native Northeast Iran to Southern Turkmenistan.
- Hyacinth transcaspicus originated from Turkey, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean
- Hyacinths include the well-known Dutch/Oriental Hyacinth varieties (H. orientalis)
- Plus there are a ton of Hybrids!
Not related are Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) but they are still typically included in this plant family. Giving you plenty of pretty Hyacinths for you to choose from!
- Single Hyacinth - closely packed single florets
- Double Hyacinth - closely packed double florets
- Multiflora Hyacinth - loose floret arrangement and multiple flower stalks
Each flower color can have a unique fragrance all its own and Hyacinths are commonly used in perfume making! At home, they are perfect for small vase arrangements and hand-held bouquets, the Hyacinth will perfume your world indoors and out!
Now that we’ve gotten you informed and obsessed with Hyacinths! Now check out Nature Hills' newest Hyacinth varieties and some garden-standard classics for you to include in your garden!
Gorgeous Heaven-Scented Blooms
The Hyacinth is a perennial bulbous plant that is related to Lilies and in the Asparagus family. These breathtaking and easy-to-grow early to mid-spring flowers are packed with color and a wonderful lingering perfume!
Being a staple of the spring, the Hyacinth and Muscari provide outstanding colors, such as deep indigo, lavender, baby blues, pale pinks, white and yellow!
- Hispanica Blue Hyacinth - Delicate wild-flower-like dainty blue, pendulous bells
- Jan Bos Hyacinth - Bold nearly-red hot-pink full blooms
- Sweet Invitation Hyacinth - bold pinkish salmon flowers
- Atlantic Hyacinth - Bold dark purple starry blooms with darker purple stripes
- Fragrant Baby Blue Hyacinth - Azure blue blossoms
- Pink Pearl Hyacinth - Dark and light pink blooms
- Pink Sunrise Grape Hyacinth - Soft baby pink Muscari mini bell-shaped blossoms
- Siberian Tiger Muscari - Snow white Muscari blooms
- Dark Eyes Muscari - A dark blueberry blue Muscari with white edges on open blooms
- Grape Hyacinth Muscari - The traditional Muscari with blue blossoms
Plant Hyacinths anywhere you want to enjoy their sweet scent!
Using Hyacinth Indoors & Out!
Great throughout any garden bed or border, these are low-growing edging and look fantastic in groupings throughout rock gardens, pollinator beds, and around the base of larger trees, shrubs, and structures!
Intersperse them throughout perennial beds and cottage borders or even cutting gardens where the large blooms mingle among larger plants without disturbing each other's root systems. Appreciating the shade later emerging plants cast once the blooms are spent.
For a brilliant show, plant them in clusters around a border’s edge, in banks and drifts, in clusters and groupings, in containers, or scattered throughout your lawn or in a flower bed.
These spring ephemeral flowers won’t crowd out other plants, so go ahead and pop them around perennials and shrubs so the Hyacinths can show off before their neighbors wake up and start growing. Once their larger companions leaf out, Hyacinths gladly retreat from the summer sun behind their neighbor's foliage.
These are darlings in protected containers and planters outdoors or as forced indoor décor! The flowers look lovely in spring bouquets too!
Easy to grow and generally avoided by deer, rabbits, and rodents, these are practically carefree perennial bulb plants!
Planting & Caring For Hyacinth Bulbs
Get your new fall-planted bulbs off on the right foot with these simple tips and with Nature Hills Root Booster!
- They need well-drained soil with full sun (in the coldest climates) to partial sun and afternoon shade (for hotter growing zones).
- Hyacinthus bulbs need to be planted in the fall before a hard frost in your growing zone. Don’t worry about planning around the last frost dates in your area, because Nature Hills ships your bulbs based on your climate!
- Place the bulbs with pointy ends up in 4-inch holes and 6 inches apart in a very well-drained area that won’t get soggy. In colder regions, plant 6 inches deep to keep them safe over winter. Create raised gardens or berms if you have poor drainage.
- Provide a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch over the root system.
- Water new plants regularly using the Finger Test to help them get established or until the ground freezes.
- Deadhead the flowers after they fade but keep the leaves intact so they can continue to make food for the bulb.
- Prune back foliage after it turns yellow.
For early flowering indoors, Hyacinths can be forced to bloom in containers, but this takes patience! Place in a dark cold area until roots start to develop; this takes about 10 weeks. When the shoots are about an inch tall, transfer the pot gradually to more light and heat (not too warm, however); water sparingly. Once they are finished blooming, they can be transplanted outdoors and will recover to bloom again next year.
Forcing Hyacinth Bulbs Indoors
If you want an inexpensive gift, or a fun project for the kids while everyone is cooped up this winter, add some perfumed blooms during these dreary short days of winter by forcing Hyacinth bulbs!
From planting in a shallow dish of soil, or clustered in a pot with other spring bulbs, Hyacinths are very easy to ‘force’ indoors. There are even specialized glass vases specifically designed for these large bulbs for a more modern minimalist look.
Directions
- Ensure you have proper drainage in your container or a means to wick away excess moisture
- Fill the container with soil about halfway or more for smaller bulbs
- Moisten to the touch
- Place the bulbs onto the soil with the pointed side up
- The bulb's tips should be just beneath the edge of the pot
- Plant many bulbs in a pot close together and even touching for the greatest impact
- Cover with more moistened soil, tamping down gently
How to Prepare Bulbs for Forcing
Place your potted or brown paper bag stored bulbs in the refrigerator (kept away from fruits or vegetables) or outside in a protected location (garage, shed, or unheated 3-season porch, where the temperatures are consistently cold enough. These potted bulbs will need a chill period where they remain in a cool spot of about 40°F or less, for about 12- 16 weeks.
They can be kept in the dark and add minimal moisture to keep the soil barely moist to the touch because they do not have to support foliage and flowers - and too much soil moisture will rot the bulbs.
After 12-16 weeks, you can bring your bulbs out into a sunny window and maintain the low soil moisture until you see the first leaves. Once you have leaves emerging, the flowers will be close behind! Add some liquid bulb fertilizer once you see green poking out of the soil.
Water regularly to prevent the soil from drying out between waterings and keep your bulbs in a bright sunny window away from direct sunlight. Turn your pot every few days to keep the plant growing straight and not reaching one side or the other.
Once you have flowers that are about to open, indoor-grown bulbs can be a bit leggy because they do not have stronger stems that come from a breeze blowing them to and fro. It may be a good idea to stake your flowering stem to help support it and prevent flopping.
What To Do With Bulbs After Forcing
Once your flowers have faded, snip the stem out close to the base, but leave the leaves so they can make food for the bulb. Keep your pot of foliage in a sunny window and once spring arrives, you can plant your bulbs outdoors after acclimating the leaves to the cooler, inconsistent temperatures of the spring garden.
Perfume Your Winters & Spring With Hyacinth Bulbs!
Be sure to order your fall-planted bulbs from NatureHills.com today and we'll ensure they arrive just in time for planting that is best for your growing zone and climate!
For lovely color and spring fragrance, there is a dizzying variety of Hyacinth bulbs available for you to enjoy this spring!
Check out Hyacinths for your garden at Nature Hills Nursery today and then get ready to perfume your spring landscape!
Happy Planting!
