Did you know that the hyacinthsthat produce flowers alive and fragrant gardensare also suitable for growing indoors.
O hyacinthus is a small genre comprising various species of bulbous plantsbut virtually all garden varieties are cultivars of hyacinthus orientalis.
The species is also commonly known as dutch hyacinth or simply garden hyacinth. It is unrelated to the hyacinth bean plant, a pea plant.
The pure species plant produces clusters of purple flowers spiked and shiny in clusters emerging from a small arcuate set of strip-like leaves, but some cultivars produce pink, red, blue, yellow, coral or white flowers.
Outdoors, hyacinth blooms in the Beginning of spring, but when grown indoors, it is often forced to flower seasonally by cooling the bulbs before planting. Its flowers last longer than most bulbs – about two weeks, sometimes longer.
To the open air, hyacinth bulbs can last for about three to four growing seasons if grown in a place with cold winters. Indoors, they are usually treated as annuals.
But attention to pet parents: hyacinths contain compounds alkaloids that are toxic for humans and animals. Toxins are most concentrated in the bulbs, with the flowers and leaves containing only small amounts.
Consuming bulbs is potentially fatal, and some people experience skin irritation when handling them.
Dogs and cats that ingest leaves and flowers sometimes experience stomach upset and other symptoms. There are cases of dogs dying after eating several hyacinth bulbs, but pet deaths are not common. Learn more about the plant below:
- Common name: Hyacinth, garden hyacinth, Dutch hyacinth.
- botanical name: hyacinthus orientalis.
- plant type: Perennial flowering bulb.
- toxicity: Toxic to humans and animals.
Can you grow hyacinth indoors?
Hyacinths are not normally grown as a perennial, but they are easy to grow in indoorsas long as you can tolerate its intense fragrance that some people find overpowering.
After flowering, the foliage is nondescript, and most gardeners treat hyacinths as seasonal annuals. Many buy new bulbs each year, refrigerating and potting them on a timeline that guarantees winter or early spring flowering. They usually discard the bulbs after the flowers have withered.
How to grow hyacinth bulbs indoors
To properly bloom at the desired time, hyacinth bulbs must be cooled in a dark place at a temperature of 1.6 to 8.8 degrees Celsius for at least 13 weeks. You can chill the bulbs before or after planting them in pots.
For refrigerator cooling, be sure not to store the bulbs next to fruit, which releases ethylene gas which will ruin the flower embryos inside the bulbs.
Sun light
Once the bulbs have cooled and planted, place the potted hyacinth bulbs in a relatively cool, dark place until the sprouted leaves are about 5 cm tall and then move the container near a window that receives indirect light.
When the bulbs begin to show color, move them to a location that gets full sun throughout the flowering period.
temperature and humidity
Hyacinths generally prefer cool temperatures, such as those found outdoors in early spring. Keeping them in a cool place will prolong the flowering time.
watering
Keep the soil moist while the bulbs are sprouting and establishing roots, but cut back on watering once flowering begins, especially if you plan on replanting the bulbs outdoors.
Fertilizer
The bulbs already have the embryo of next year’s flowers inside them, so it’s not necessary to fertilize them at planting time. Be careful not to over-fertilize!
Pruning and maintenance
If you are treating hyacinths as annuals, simply discard the bulbs and soil when the flowers have wilted. If you want to plant the bulbs outdoors, place the pots in a cool, dark place and allow the foliage to dry out and die.
Then remove the bulbs and plant them outdoors when the soil warms up. The bulbs won’t bloom the first season outdoors, but once they go through the next winter chill period, you can expect the bulbs to bloom for at least two to three years.
container and size
Hyacinths are suitable for bulb pots, ideally those made from terracotta. With their wider base and shorter height than standard pots, these pots are designed specifically for this type of plant.
a bulb of 10 centimeters in diameter it’s big enough for a single bulb, and you can usually fit three bulbs in a pot of 15 centimeters in diameter.
Potting soil and drainage
Use standard good quality sterile potting soil. Make sure the vase has drainage holesbut there is no need for a layer of gravel on the bottom, nor is it necessary to place the pot on a pebble tray to aid drainage.
Common potting soil is usually porous enough to prevent the bulbs from rotting, as long as the pot has drainage holes.
Potting and replanting hyacinth bulbs
Fill the bulb pot halfway with potting soil and place each bulb pointy side up and root side down in the soil. Add potting soil until the tips of the bulbs are exposed. Make sure the bulbs are not completely buried.
Then gently push the soil down so that it is at least 1.2 cm below the rim of the vase. This prevents the soil from being washed away during watering. Finally, water the pots well. Once the leaves start to grow, you can expect flowers in about three weeks.
Moving Outdoor Hyacinths for the Summer
Hyacinths are generally treated as annuals and discarded after the flowering period. However, you can dig up the potted bulbs and replant them outdoors if you live in a climate where they will receive the necessary winter cooling period. But it doesn’t work very well to bring them back indoors for another indoor growing season.
Bulbs planted outdoors after the indoor period will typically not bloom for an entire year until they have gone through another winter cooldown period.
soilless hyacinths
Hyacinths can also be grown in water in cups specially designed for the plant. Hyacinth cups are shaped like an hourglass which allows the bottom of the bulb to be dry and the roots to be in the water.
Another way to grow hyacinths is to fill a shallow dish or bowl with 5 to 7 centimeters of pebbles. Place the bulbs on top of the pebbles, pointy side up and root side down.
Then fill the plate or bowl with more pebbles, just as you would soil, until only the top third of the bulb is visible. Pour in enough water so that the bottom of the bulb is just above the water; roots will form and grow in the water. Make sure the bottom of the bulb is not in water or it will rot. Keep the water constant at that level, refilling as needed.
The temperature and light requirements are the same for hyacinths grown in potting soil.
Common questions
Where do hyacinths originate?
hyacinthus orientalis It is native to colder regions of central and southern Turkey, northwest Syria and Lebanon.
Are there any recommended cultivars?
Although it already had nearly 2,000 cultivars in production, today there are about 50 that are commonly available. Some favorite varieties include “anna marie“, “blue festival“, “Blue Star“, “Carnegie“, “City of Haarlem«(a yellow variety),»Gypsy Queen«(choral),»Miss Saigon“, “Purple Sensation”, “woodstock» It is «white festival“.
Can you grow hyacinths from collected flower seeds?
It’s a practice best attempted by serious gardeners, but yes, it’s possible to collect the tiny seeds from hyacinth flowers and grow them yourself.
But be patient, as it can take several years of careful care in an outdoor location before the plant produces a sizeable, viable bulb. Remember that they must receive a long cool-down period each year.
Do hyacinths produce displaced bulbs?
Hyacinths produce small, displaced bulbs that you may find attached to the base of the plant when the foliage dies. These displaced bulbs can be carefully separated and repotted, although it often takes a few growing seasons for the bulbs to grow to a size capable of producing remarkable flowering stems. This is the method by which commercial growers propagate hyacinths.
What do hyacinths symbolize?
The name hyacinth comes from Greek mythology and of a legend about Hyacinth, a man accidentally killed by the god Apollo. From his blood sprouted a beautiful flower. This flower and its different colors have different meaningsbut some predominant meanings are forgiveness, jealousy, sadness and spirituality.
* Via The Spruce