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Planting and Growing Hyacinths & Grape Hyacinths

Image Credit:
Marcin Jucha/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Hyacinthus (True Hyacinths); Muscari (Grape Hyacinths)
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
Toxicity
Toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
Under 1 foot
Spread
Under 1 foot
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Flower Color
Blue
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Fragrant
Low Maintenance
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Clay Soil Tolerant
Plant Type
Bulbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Ahhh, the scent of hyacinths in full bloom—springtime’s little perfume bottles! And don’t even get us started on the tiny cobalt-blue Muscari, sneaking in like miniature bells of joy. 

Whether you’re planting them in pots, borders, or bouquets, these fragrant spring bulbs are sure to make your garden (and your nose) very happy.

About Hyacinths and Grape Hyacinths

  • Hyacinths (Hyacinthus): Originally a pale blue or violet flower, hyacinths now come in a rainbow of colors, including lilacs, pinks, white, cobalt blue, cream, apricot, and even a blood-red hue. Each hyacinth bulb generally produces one flower stalk that stands 8 to 10 inches tall. The hyacinth’s loose-to-dense racemes (clusters) of strongly fragrant flowers may be closely packed single or double flowers.
Close-up of Hyacinth flowers in full bloom
Close-up of Hyacinth flowers in full bloom. Credit: Elena Tratsevskaya
  • Grape hyacinths (Muscari) are not directly related to true hyacinths, but also bloom in mid-spring and have the same care requirements. This tiny wonder has small clusters of bell-shaped, cobalt-blue flowers.
Blue muscari/grape hyacinth flowers
Blue muscari. Credit: Shebeko

Note: This page will refer to both Hyacinthus and Muscari plants as “hyacinths” for simplicity’s sake!

As hyacinths are one of the first blooms, they look best at the front of a perennial garden, near the front door, along a walkway, or in mixed borders. These beauties are also a great choice for pots and planters. Hyacinths make wonderful cutting flowers, too, and look stunning in bouquets. As the flowers are famous for their fragrance, you can bring the sweet scent of spring inside!

Please note: Most hyacinths grow in Zones 3 to 9. They must have cold temperatures of 40° to 45°F (4° to 7°C) for at least 12 to 14 weeks. If temperatures in your area do not get this cold, you’ll need to pre-chill the bulbs in a refrigerator before planting them outdoors. 

Warning: Hyacinth bulbs (and daffodil bulbs) contain a substance called oxalic acid, which can be irritating to bare skin. Use gloves when handling these bulbs for extended periods.

Planting

Where to Plant Hyacinths

Choose a planting site that gets full sun for the largest blooms and straightest stems. The bulbs are tolerant of partial shade as well.

Grow in loosened, moderately fertile soil that drains well. Avoid planting low areas where water collects; hyacinths will rot in wet soil! Before planting, loosen the soil and work in 2 to 4 inches of compost or bonemeal for fertility.

When to Plant Hyacinths

Like other spring-blooming bulbs, plant hyacinth bulbs in mid-to-late autumn, any time after your first fall frost and before the ground freezes.

How to Plant Hyacinths

  • Plant hyacinth bulbs 4 to 5 inches deep. Space bulbs 5 to 6 inches apart (grape hyacinths can be 2 inches apart). At the northern limits of their hardiness (USDA Zone 3), plant 1 to 2 inches deeper to ensure winter hardiness.
  • Dig out a larger area if you wish to plant five or more bulbs simultaneously. Hyacinths look beautiful in groupings of five to nine bulbs. Grape hyacinths also look best in masses and loose drifts.
  • Set the bulb in the hole with the pointy end up.
  • After planting and covering with soil, water thoroughly.
  • Apply a 1- to 2-inch layer of mulch around the plants to discourage weeds and disease.
  • If you are transplanting, water sparingly and then do not water again until flower buds appear the following year.
pink and purple hyacinths in the garden

Forcing Hyacinth Bulbs Indoors

  • Hyacinth bulbs may be forced into early growth for indoor display in the winter. Plant them with the tips just showing, in soil-based potting mix in containers with drainage holes.
  • Keep in a dark place at temperatures above freezing but no higher than 45°F (7°C), for at least 10 weeks to allow roots to develop.
  • When shoots are about 1 inch long, increase light and temperature gradually.
  • Water carefully and avoid wetting the shoots or waterlogging the soil. Soil should be moist, not wet.
  • After flowering, forced hyacinths may be transplanted into the garden, and they will flower again in subsequent years.

Growing

Caring for Hyacinths

  • Do NOT overwater hyacinth. They do not like standing water or having “wet feet.” Water ONLY if the soil is dry at a depth of 3 inches. If it is dry at that depth, it is time to water.  
  • Water deeply at the soil level, not from overhead or with a sprinkler which encourages disease. Lay the hose end next to the plant, turn the hose on low, and water for about 30 minutes or until the soil is moist. A soaker hose turned on low for a few hours will cover a larger area effectively.
  • With the organic matter and mulch, you do not need to fertilize. However, it’s OK to sprinkle a commercial organic fertilizer over the soil.
  • Protect container-grown plants from excessive winter moisture by covering them or moving them to a sheltered area.

Harvesting

What to Do With Hyacinths After Flowering

Outdoors

  • After your hyacinths have finished flowering, remove the blooms, but don’t remove the foliage. The bulbs need their leaves to gather energy for next year’s blooms. The foliage will die back naturally at the end of the spring season. Remove when the leaves have turned brown to help prevent fungal diseases.
  • Hyacinth bulbs can remain in the ground throughout the year in most planting zones. If you live a warm climate where temperatures do not get below 60°F, bulbs should be dug up in the fall and refrigerated in a cool, dry area for 6 to 8 weeks. Hyacinths require a period of colder weather to bloom. 

Indoors

  • Hyacinth bulbs that have finished flowering indoors can be transplanted into the garden. After flowering, they need time to gather energy for next year’s blooms, so they should not be placed directly into storage.
  • After their foliage dies back outdoors, hyacinth bulbs can be brought indoors and stored in a cool, dark, dry place until the fall or winter. 

Pests and Problems

  •  Bulbs are prone to gray mold and bulb rot when kept too wet.

Types

  • Hyacinth orientalis ‘Blue Jacket’: One of the great blues of the flower world. These award-winning hyacinths display big columns of royal blue florets with crisp white edges.
  • H. orientalis ‘City of Haarlem’: A wonderful heirloom variety that’s been popular since the late 1800s. The flowers are soft, primrose yellow, maturing to creamy white.
  • H. orientalis ‘Gypsy Queen’: ‘Gypsy Queen’ is an heirloom hyacinth with salmon pink petals with peach and buttery-yellow highlights.
  • H. orientalis ‘Jan Bos’: Intensely fragrant, this award-winning hyacinth has fuschia-pink florets that are tightly packed into large flowerheads.
  • H. orientalis ‘Miss Saigon’: With a deep, rich purple color, this fragrant hyacinth is covered with starry, violet florets. Gorgeous!
  • H. orientalis ‘Pink Pearl’: Rose-pink flower heads turn heads with their cotton-candy sweetness; ‘Pink Pearl’ is a favorite for spring containers to add a pop of color.
  • Muscari armeniacum: This grape hyacinth has small and delicate cobalt-blue flowers that look gorgeous when planted en masse.

Wit and Wisdom

  • The Victorians revered hyacinths for their sweet, lingering fragrance, and carefully massed them in low beds, planting them in rows of one color each. In general, hyacinths are said to symbolize playfulness, sport, and rashness, though their meanings are color-dependent. Learn more about the meanings of flowers.

Are Hyacinth Bulbs Poisonous to Cats and Dogs?

Yes, hyacinth bulbs are poisonous to pets. Many spring flowers, such as hyacinths and daffodils, contain a compound that may cause stomach and respiratory issues and skin irritation. This substance—calcium oxalate—is most concentrated in the bulbs, but is also found in the foliage and flowers of the hyacinth plant. Keep hyacinths out of reach of curious pets and children, and wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs for long periods of time.

The one upside to the hyacinth’s toxicity is that common garden pests, such as squirrels and groundhogs, often aren’t as tempted to eat your hyacinth bulbs!

Will Hyacinths Bloom Again?

Yes and no. Hyacinths bloom just once yearly (in the spring), but they will happily bloom again in subsequent years if provided with the proper care. They are a perennial plant.

Bulbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/30/2014 - 13:56

Polly, remove the pods by running your hand/s up or down the stem—but leave the stem and leaves.

 <span>Joy Plaster</span> Sat, 05/31/2014 - 12:32
I have succeeded with my first attempt to plant hyacinth from bulb last fall. I not knowing much about gardening also noticed the pod like appendageds that were only on some of the flower stalks. What are these pods? I thought they were possibly baby bulbs? Please advise i cut the stalks down that had dead blooms but have left the leaves and the stalks with these pods since i don't know what they are. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
<span>Cat Ford</span> Tue, 05/12/2015 - 12:03
Sorry, Joy, I can't provide an answer but want to add my query to yours. I'm a total novice but can't believe that there's no mention of or advice about such a significant looking part of a spent hyacinth. These look like seed pods but hyacinths grow from bulbs. So what is the function of the pod? And what to do with it? Please help!
<span>Joyce Wixson</span> Mon, 04/28/2014 - 16:45
Before reading your comments, I cut back the foliage along with the blooms after 2 weeks. Is there any hope of blooming again next year? Should I 1. Throw bulbs away - they are worthless 2. Plant them outside now (I live in Illinois) 3. Store them in containers and plant next fall 4. Remove bulbs and store them in basement (or refrigerate?)until next fall? I am not an experienced gardener but would like to learn. Seems like a waste to throw away 9 bulbs if some may bloom again.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/30/2014 - 14:08

Hi, Joyce,

Hope springs eternal. But your bulbs...hard to tell if they will spring back. The bulbs need foliage to make food for next year. If it was even pale, tending to yellow you might have a chance next season.

If they are not taking up too much room or time or memory, give them another try. Put the in a cool, n the meantime, keep in eye out for more in the fall and set them all (old and new). You just never know ...

 <span>Alan Shipp</span> Mon, 04/28/2014 - 17:22
The mistake you made was to cut off the leaves. These should remain on the bulb, continuing to be watered, until they die down naturally 7-8 weeks after flowering, during this period they will be storing food in the bulb to provide next year's flower. However, whilst yours will probably not flower next year, they should survive if you dry them off, store in a cool dry place with plenty of air circulation e.g. a car port, and then plant them in the fall,6 inches deep, in a year or so you will once more have flowers. happy gardening.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/30/2014 - 14:13

Thanks for helping out here, Alan!

 <span>Clk Island Lake</span> Sun, 04/27/2014 - 14:25
Hi, I have been receiving hyacinths for each Easter for a few years now. I'm in Northern Illinois and have been planting them in the ground as I receive them. I am pleasantly surprised to say, they have been coming back. So, as my thumb is becoming greener I planted grape hyacinths, (my thumb is turning brown). They have not come back, and very shortly after I put them in the ground they wilted and died. There really is no rhyme or reason to my garden, I just kinda put thing where I think they will look nice and do well with the sun type. Do you have any advice for me?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/30/2014 - 14:26

Planting any bulb while in bloom is usually not a good idea. It's like dropping the theater curtain on them just as they are  putting on the best show. Some sources suggest that the grape hyacinth, being resiliant, might make a surprise appearance in the future but if you want a sure thing, get a few "new" ones.

Remember: plant spring (blooming) bulbs in fall and fall (blooming) bulbs in spring.

 <span>Chiffon Bigbucks</span> Wed, 04/23/2014 - 15:26
I bought white and purple hyacinth at Walmart, and it has flower buds that haven't bloomed yet. I don't know anything about how to take care of the flower at this stage! Please give me advice on how much should I water, and other stuff. I don't know what kind of hyacinth it is anyway. Are there different kinds of hyacinths?