Moxie Gardener

Hyacinths are easy to grow outdoors and easy to force indoors.

Hyacinths are thought to originate in the eastern Mediterranean near Turkey and Iran. They were brought to Europe in the 1500s, when the Dutch discovered they had the perfect climate for growing them. By the 1800s there were over 2,000 cultivars growing in the Netherlands.

Hyacinthus orientalis, commonly called Dutch or Garden Hyacinth, are sometimes associated with rebirth. They symbolize sport or play in the Victorian language of flowers.

Hyacinth bulbs are reliably hardy to USDA Zone 4, although some varieties are hardy through Zone 3. They bloom during March and April.

Plant hyacinth bulbs in fall, about six weeks before your first expected fall frost. Space  bulbs about 4 to 6 inches apart. Plant in groups in a mass hole about 6 to 8 inches deep. Set the bulb with the pointy end up, then cover with soil and firmly press the soil down.

After the blooms fade in spring, cut the flower stalk off but allow the leaves to die down on their own. This helps the bulb store energy to bloom next year.

Hyacinths produce a large, showy flower the first year after they are planted; in subsequent years the bloom size decreases and the flower stalk grows longer. Some gardeners plant new bulbs each fall, they re-locate one year old bulbs in perennial borders and use new bulbs each year for “feature blooms” in highly visible locations near the house.

Hyacinths are one of the easiest bulbs to force indoors during winter and they will even grow in plain water. Special hyacinth glasses are available. They have a thin neck to hold the bulb out of the water in the bottom of the glass, where the roots happily grow.

Hyacinths need a chilling period in order to bloom; I’ve had success forcing them by putting a bulb into a hyacinth glass, adding water up the the level of the bottom of the bulb, then putting the whole thing into a large plastic bag. After a couple of months on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, they bloomed in just a few weeks when set out in a sunny spot at room temperature.

Hyacinths are one of the most fragrant spring bulbs. A single bloom can scent an entire room, even to the point of being overpowering. Don’t put hyacinths on the dinner table, put them on the vanity in the bath or on a table in the entryway. That way you can enjoy their sweet scent, but you and your guests won’t be overpowered by it.

It’s not too late to plant spring bulbs.  Even here in Zone 4 we still have several weeks before the ground freezes.  That’s plenty of time for roots to form on spring blooming bulbs before freezing weather sets in and stops their growth until spring.

Plant spring flowering bulbs in areas that are sunny in spring and become shady when trees leaf out.  Tuck bulbs into your perennial border or beds to provide seasonal color.  The perennials will camouflage the yellowing leaves of spring bulbs until the foliage completely dies down.  Or you can plant annuals among the spring bulbs to fill out as the bulb’s foliage yellows and withers.

Don’t tie the leaves of spring bulbs into bundles, they need to be exposed to sunlight to manufacture energy for next years’ blooms.  Let the leaves grow for approximately eight weeks after flowering before cutting them down.  Cut off flower stems right after the flowers fade but leave the leaves to dry up in their own time.

Tulips should be planted in an area that doesn’t get watered often during summer.  Tulips don’t like wet feet while dormant in summer and excessive moisture in their bed will cause them to rot.

Choose plump and firm bulbs with no evidence of decay.  Bulbs should be planted at a depth that is twice their width.  Space the bulbs the same distance—a distance apart that is equal to twice their width. Make sure to plant the spring bulbs with their pointed end up.  Do not step on or overly tamp down the soil in the bulb bed or you can damage the growing tip of the bulbs.  Unless the soil is bone dry, it is not necessary to water after planting.

Deer love bulbs and the resulting growing plants in spring.  To keep them from eating the bulbs, cover the bulbs with screen mesh before back-filling their planting hole.  There seems to be little one can do, short of erecting a cage over the growing plants, to prevent deer from eating the tender growth of spring flowering bulbs.

Planting a few bulbs every year is a good way to amass a stunning display of spring bloom.  By paying attention to how well the various varieties of bulbs do in your garden, you can plant more of what works and not waste time or money planting more of the varieties that did not reliably produce blooms for you year after year.