Hyacinth bulbs are planted in the fall and bloom beautifully in the spring. Here’s a guide to planting and growing hyacinths and grape hyacinths in your home and garden!
About Hyacinths and Grape Hyacinths
Hyacinths (Hyacinthus) come in a variety of colors—from bright pink to soft blue. The hyacinth’s loose-to-dense racemes (clusters) of strongly fragrant flowers may be closely-packed single or double flowers.
Grape hyacinths (Muscari) are not directly related to true hyacinths, but belong to the same botanical family and have essentially the same care requirements.
On this page, we will refer to both Hyacinthus and Muscari plants as “hyacinths” for simplicity’s sake!
The Victorians revered hyacinths for their sweet, lingering fragrance, and carefully massed them in low beds, planting in rows of one color each. In general, hyacinths are said symbolize playfulness, sport, and rashness, though meanings are color-dependent. Learn more about the meanings of flowers.
Hyacinths are perennial bulbs and are often planted directly in the ground outdoors, though these easy bulbs are also excellent for forcing in container gardens or being made to flower indoors during the winter.
Reader Comments
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Hyacinth dropping
Hi, I received a potted hyacinth on Thursday May 28,2020. When I received them two bulbs were already dropping they were laying on the table. Now Sunday May 31,2020 all the bulbs are laying on the table. What does this meaning? What do I do now? I watered them on Thursday and then again last night. How do I take care of the Hyacinth?
Thank you
drooping bulbs
Purchased potted bulbs (say that three times fast) are almost always forced. We can only guess that perhaps they were weak or even spent just before you received them. Or, and this is just a wild hunch, if the person who gave them to you transplanted blooming bulbs into the pot as a gift, they did not survive the uprooting and resetting, so flopped over, confused about what to do and weary from the experience.
Replanting bulbs in a "holding bed"
I have some great Hyacinth bulbs and am planning on them returning for years to come (Columbus, Ohio). I would like to move my spent bulbs to a secondary holding bed so that I can plant some annuals in that prime real estate in my garden beds. Is this something that I can expect any success with? I was planning on digging up the bulbs with their leaf-stalks and just moving them to another bed until Fall when I would bring back the bulbs to be planted again for next Spring.
What are my chances at success here? Any tips I should be thinking of?
Thanks in advance!
moving hyacinths
The first thing to think about is Plan B: how will you feel, and what will you do, if the bulbs do not survive the transitions? It is generally and widely recommended to let bulbs die back in place (the ground they bloomed in), leaving th foliage to “yellow” naturally, without tiebacks or other techniques that put the foliage out of sight or lacking sun exposure. In short, the rule of thumb is to leave them alone. Lifting them and resetting them would be jarring (think about it: the plant just put on a show and is resting, catching up on spent energy and gets this shock to its system!). IF, capital letters, you can dig deep enough to take the soil that the bulbs are in, plus a few inches of soil under and around the bulbs, and move the whole thing without disturbing the bulbs, it might, might work. At least, on a few of the bulbs. But you won’t know for sure until show time.
Hi I just bought some hyacinth at local plant store
They have flowered and the followers are still on them , but looking old
My Question is , will there be any seeds produced in the flower heads
Thank you
Repotting or Planting
I just received a hyacinth as a gift for Mother's Day. It has three beautiful blooms right now and is in just the small pot from a garden center purchase. Can this be replanted right now and if so, where is best--a pot or the ground? I live in Southeast Louisiana. Thank you!
Hyacinth blooms prematurely
All my hyacinth plants are blooming before they fully emerge from the ground. What is my problem?
Hyacinth Blooms
Could you have planted them too deep? Hyacinths should be planted only 3-4 inches into the soil. If they’re too deep, they may struggle to emerge properly.
planting in spring
Can young plants be planted in the spring, their in a container now.
transplanting hyacinths in pots
Leave it in the pot, Richard. Give it balanced (not strong light) keep the water to the lower middle of the bulb until after it blooms (add no more water then), and let the foliage fade away. There is no guarantee that it will bloom again, but you can cut off the dead foliage and plant the bulb about 6 inches deep and see what, if anything, happens next spring. If you do not live in an area that experiences winter, nothing will happen; hyacinths need a cold spell to bloom. So it’s best to enjoy it now…and buy a new plant when it passes.
When to plant Hyacinth in zone 10
Growing Hyacinth in Southern California zone 10:
Bulbs from local stores Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Chilling Hyacinth bulbs in mid September (for 2 months)
Planting in mid November, in the containers, in shade with indirect sunlight
Watering gently for 2 months. When the shoots grow few inches tall, bring the containers to the direct sunlight place.
Blooming now in late January.
Whenever you ask or share the information, please write the hardiness zone where you are, so other people can learn and apply. Happy gardening to Almanac and guests!
When to plant Hyacinth
Hi The Editors, I live in San Diego Zone 10. My Tulip, Hyacinth, Daffodil bulbs have been chilled from September 15, some are chilled from Oct and November, until now in refrigerator. I haven’t planted them yet because the grower websites recommend that they need to be chilled at least 15 weeks. Please let me know when I can plant them. Can I plant them now or I need to wait until Jan 2020? Thank you so much for your advise. I love your website very much, it’s so helpful and beautiful.
Pink Hyacinth
I bought a bulb in a see through vase with long roots. It has already bloomed. It has long tall leaves. Can I plant it in a pot and not in the ground? I live in California.
planting hyacinthus
what is to be expected if I plant the bulbs in the spring with or without the potted one I purchased to be planted soon
muscari armeniacum
I planted 14 bulbs outdoor in late fall zone 6A and now beginning of March they all started shooting up 1-2 inches through mulch. There will be some freezing days ahead so my concern is that will they die?
frost protection
If you have several inches of mulch, then the bulbs themselves should be fine. To protect the leaves and buds that have emerged, then you may want to provide frost protection the afternoon before a frost is predicted overnight. You can use row covers, sheets, etc., ideally propped up on stakes (or hoops) so as not to touch (and possibly damage) the plants–be sure that all edges of the fabric are tucked into the soil, to prevent cold air from seeping in under the fabric. Another alternative is to cover each bulb individually with something like a plastic jug or inverted flower pot. Remove the fabric or other protection in the morning just after temperatures rise above freezing. Watering the soil before covering the plants can also help.
Blue Hyacinth in Glass Vase
I just received a Blue Hyacinth in a glass jar...long white roots in water...soil at the top not touching the water. I would like to keep it indoors, as I live in Arizona. Please advise how I should care for this.
hyacinth in glass vase
Ibought this in January, they bloomed and now the blooms have died, what do I do now until fall.
Storing Hyacinth
See our advice in the Harvest/Storage section of this page, above!
Rec'd blue Hyacinth in glass jar, what do I do now?
Blooms are dying, how do I take care of this?
Digging up Hyacinths
My husband and I have moved into a rental home where the Hyacinths have spread out into the main yard. I wanted to know when is the right time to dig them up. We are in Peoria, IL which puts us in Region 6 for weather and Area 2 for Moon phases. Also, what is the best way to dig them up and store them until we can replant them this fall?
Digging up Hyacinths
The best time to dig up and replant hyacinths is in the fall, but truth be told, you can dig them up anytime after their foliage dies back. Store them in a cool, dark place that’s not overly-humid and then replant them in the fall.
Hyacinths with weak stalks
I have grown hyacinths successfully in my BC garden for many years but over the last few years, a number of the plants have developed long weak stalks which do not hold up the flower heads. This is a recurring problem that only happens with specific clumps of bulbs which are situated in various areas of the garden. The rest of the bulbs in the garden produce stocky strong stems that hold the flowers upright even after one of our frequent heavy spring rains. I am tempted to replace the 'weaker' plants as it is so disappointing to have their beautiful flowers lying on the ground each spring. Any suggestions?
Hyacinths with weak stalks
Generally speaking, when a plant develops longer, thinner stalks, and/or longer and thinner leaves it is stretching to compete and reach for the sun. Use the instructions in this article, mark the areas where you have the thinning plants, and wait until the foliage has died back, or wait until the time you would normally plant fall bulbs.
When you dig them up, you may be surprised at the number of bulbs you have!
North FL zone 9b
I live in zone 9b and received a potted hyacinth recently. The blooms are beginning to wilt. Can I go ahead and transplant it in the ground and follow your instructions for care? Our winter temperatures do reach below 60 for several weeks, but it can be very rainy in the spring and summer, and I’m concerned about bulb rot.
Reply to Sarah on March 24, 2018
I want to know the answer to Sarah's question.
Central gulf coast fla
Recieved a potted in full bloom in Feb. 2019 want to transplant outside. How to do this now that it is almost April. Location and soil type in Brandon FL. Morning afternoon or shade since it gets so hot here? Should I keep indoors until fall??
Store bought forced bulbs re-sprouting
Last year I was given an indoor hyacinth which from reading here I have learnt would have been forced. The trio of bulbs are planted in soil with a thin layer of decorative moss. They bloomed last year and once they had withered I cut off the dead leaves. I noticed them sprouting again this year having been left indoors all year. I've been giving them a small amount of water. Do you think they'll bloom? They have been living at room temperature, well above 45F. Is there anything I should do?
a seasonal alternative to a forced hyacinth
You needn’t and probably can not do anything that will change the course of events for these bulbs. They may show signs of life instinctively. But you probably will not get a full, true bloom or foliage. Enjoy any growth that appears. For the pleasure of a seasonal bulb, you might want to purchase a narcissus bulb; they are available in many garden supply stores now. Cover the bottom of a narrow vase or drinking glass with pebbles to about 1 inch deep, put the bulb in on the stones, and add water to reach about halfway up the bulb. Set it near sunlight and keep the water level constant. Like the hyacinth, this is a one-time performance but it is lovely, fragrant, and inexpensive (typically less than $1).
Dormant Forced Vase Hy but with Offshoots
My forced water vase Hy's leaves are finally all dead, which usually signals a dormancy. I am ready to dry the roots and refrigerate it for the summer but wanted to make sure it was the right move since it is already sprouting offshoots from the bottom of the bulb.
Also after 8-10 weeks in the fridge would have me pulling it out and planting it in the Oct-Nov, which feels wrong.
Thanks for any advice!
(Zone 11b)
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