Hyacinth Flower Care
Hyacinths have an appealing fragrance, long foliage and early, colorful blooms. Hyacinths can be any color except green, and they come in three varieties: single hyacinths with large, single flowers; double hyacinths with whorls of flowers; and multiflora hyacinths with several stalks of loosely arranged flowers. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Planting
-
Plant hyacinths in the fall six to eight weeks before frost when the soil is cooler than 60 degrees. Dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep in tilled and compost-amended soil and place the bulbs pointy-side-up 4 to 6 inches apart.
Water & Sun
-
Hyacinths do best with abundant sun from the north and light shade from the south. Excessive watering is unnecessary, but about 1 inch of water per week from rain or watering is useful when the root system is developing in the fall. During very hot summers, water as needed.
-
Staking
-
Once their stalks break through, hyacinths might need to be staked. Older hyacinths that have grown for several years in the same spot may need to be staked, and top-heavy hyacinths like the double hyacinth variety should be staked.
End of Season
-
Remove dead flowers and allow foliage to fall to the ground. Apply compost each year over the bulbs. Flower size and stalk strength might decrease from year to year, so dig up bulbs and plant new ones each fall for yearly hyacinth robustness.
Warning
-
Some people break out with eczema after contact with hyacinth bulbs. As a precaution, wear gardening gloves to protect your skin.
-
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of psyberartist
