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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Hyacinths
Ahhh! The scent of hyacinth is intoxicating in springtime! And who can resist the tiny blue Muscari? Learn more about planting these spring-flowering bulbs as well as caring for the pretty pastel flowers after they bloom.
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鈥檚 loose-to-dense racemes (clusters) of strongly fragrant flowers may be closely packed single or double flowers.
- 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.
Note: This page will refer to both Hyacinthus and Muscari plants as 鈥渉yacinths鈥 for simplicity鈥檚 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!
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.
Please note: Most hyacinths grow in zones 3 to 9. They must have cold temperatures of 40掳 to 45掳F (4掳 to 7掳C) for at least 12 to 14 weeks. If temperatures in your area do not get this cold, you鈥檒l 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.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi Mary Ann, The balls on spent hyacinth stems are seed pods. Most people prune the stems when the bloom fails, before the pods form; you can certainly prune them out when you see them. If you leave them on, they draw energy from the bulb, which may diminish the plant’s performance in the long run.
Those are the seed pods! They’ll mature and fall off on their own.
They will fall off on their own, however you'll have stronger healthier plants for next season if you cut the flower stem off as soon as the flower stops looking pretty. Then the bulb won't waste energy trying to make seed.
Should I plant the seed pods?
Hello I got a Hyacinth plant as a gift from my daughter at Easter. It came in container. since I won't be at this house next winter after the my last flower blooms how do I store the bulbs so I can put it in my next garden. Thank You.
Hello, Jaana, thank you for your question. Once your hyacinth plant has fully bloomed and its flowers have faded, you will want to remove the blooms, but not the foliage. Allowing the leaves to remain is important because bulbs need their leaves to gain energy for the following year’s growing season. In late spring or early summer, the leaves will die back naturally and that is when your hyacinth will enter its dormant period and can be dug up. You will want to store your bulbs indoors in a cool, dark, and dry place until the fall or winter, depending on your location. Like all spring flowering bulbs, hyacinth need a cold period in the fall and winter in order to bloom the following spring.
After the plant has bloomed and the flower is removed how long till I store it in a dark place? Also should I keep the bulb in its soil?
I am in zone 7b/8, upstate SC. My hyacinth are in containers this year. Do I leave them in the containers or do I need to pack them away after blooming?
After the plants finish blooming, continue to care for them as you normally would until their leaves die back. After blooming, the plants use their leaves to gather energy for next year’s flowers, so it’s important to not cut off their leaves until they start to die back on their own.
Your article says that they will bloom again with proper care; what IS proper care. I've had these in years past, if they did come back, each year the flower was smaller and smaller. How do you get them to come back bigger and bigger?
