We have the most beautiful hyacinths in terracotta pots by our back door, which are just beginning to droop from the weight of their full-flowered stems. I had never fully appreciated the beauty and fragrance of hyacinths until this year when I had the chance to walk by them several times a day. They are just gorgeous – especially the purple ones!
Planting hyacinths in containers is relatively easy. And what a great idea for those with limited gardening space. Here are some tips on how you can grow them, from Easy to Grow Bulbs:
- Fill your containers with good quality, well-drained soil. Almost any commercially available potting medium will work fine. Make sure there are adequate drainage holes; hyacinths bulbs must never sit in waterlogged soil or they will rot.
- Site your containers where they will receive full sun.
- Plant your hyacinths 7-8” deep and 4” apart for the most brilliant display. The bulbs are round, larger than a golf ball and have papery skins. Plant them with the pointed end facing up.
- After planting, water hyacinths well to settle the soil around the bulbs. Roots will form in the autumn. Top growth and fragrant flowers will develop in the spring.
- Enjoy your flowering containers, snipping a few flowers if you like. This won’t hurt your plants. Or bring just ready to flower containers inside to perfume your rooms. One small pot will scent an entire room.
- After blooming has finished for the season leave the foliage in place; don’t cut it off. The leaves will gather sunlight, create food through photosynthesis and strengthen the bulb for the future. Water as needed during active growth periods; about 1″ per week.
- By early summer the leaves will yellow and die back as the plant slips into dormancy. Foliage many be removed at this point. Your hyacinths will rest until next spring’s show.
Quantity tips: For 12-15” pots – plant 10-12, for 10” pots – plant 9, for 8” pots – plant 7.
