What you need to know about growing hyacinths

Hyacinths are gorgeous flower-producing plants that will fill any room with a burst of colour as well as an amazing scent. When growing hyacinths in your home or garden, you will be surprised to learn just how easy they are to maintain. Here are a few tips that you will need to keep in mind.

Outdoor cultivation

Growing hyacinths outside, in your garden, will require well-drained and fertile soil. They enjoy full sunlight and you should plant the bulbs during the early part of the autumn season. This ensures that you will be able to enjoy their beautiful blooms during the months of March and April. It’s also important to make sure that you plant each bulb at a depth of at least 10cm. They should also be placed 7.5cm apart to allow each plant enough space to grow.

Advice for pruning

The obvious goal for anyone growing hyacinths is to ensure that they produce flowers. These flowers will eventually perish and you should remove them gently by hand as soon as they start turning brown. As for the leaves, these should remain intact just as they are. You do not need to trim the plant. Eventually, the foliage will cease all on its own and you can lift the bulbs to store them in a cool, dry place until the next planting season.

Growing hyacinths in containers

Hyacinths can be grown indoors too. These environments also require quality potting soil that offers sufficient drainage. You should also have drainage holes in the bottom of your pots and you should place the pot on ‘pot feet’ or bricks. You can protect the bulbs from frost damage by wrapping the pots in plastic wrap. Planting depth and distance recommendations are the same as planting in your garden. Once they begin to bloom, you should move your hyacinths to a cooler room with plenty of light. Once the plant is done blooming, you should place the container outside in a spot where it will not receive too much water. When there are no more flowers or leaves, the bulbs can be removed and stored for the next season.

Extra tips

When growing hyacinths, it’s important to make sure that you keep these plants away from young children and pets. Any part of this plant, if ingested, can cause stomach problems. You should also wear gloves when handling this plant and the bulbs since it can easily cause skin irritations. If you notice that any of your bulbs are showing signs of disease, they should be properly discarded so that they don’t affect any other plants in your garden.

Available in various colours, growing hyacinths is both easy and highly rewarding. You do not need to invest too much time or energy into growing these flowers but you will certainly enjoy their abundant blooms.