Christmas Hyacinth Bulbs

Choosing the Bulbs

Not all hyacinths will flower over the Christmas period.  When you buy them, you need to buy bulbs labelled and prepared.

If you are giving the hyacinths as an indoor Christmas garden gift or using them as table decorations, you may want to choose varieties in traditional Christmas colours such as red (e.g. Hyacinthus Jan Bos) or white (e.g. H. White Pearl or H. Camegie).

Alternatively, you could choose soft blue (Hyacinthus Delft Blue), pale pink (H. Anne Marie) or yellow (H. City of Haarlem) to fit in with a colour scheme.

When to Plant

Planting should take place in September or early October.  Different varieties of bulbs will produce flowers at slightly different times – so check on the packaging for advice.  Temperature will also affect the timing of when the flowers bloom.

Consider wearing gloves because skin irritation can occur.

Compost

The most simple approach is to plant the bulbs in a bowl filled with bulb fibre.  You can use a general purpose compost but you will need drainage.  Water the compost or fibre before you begin. 

As an alternative you can plant your hyacinths in water (see below).

Planting Your Christmas Hyacinth Bulbs

Put a layer of damp bulb fibre or compost in your bowl.  Then add your bulbs and backfill until only the tip of the bulb is showing.  The bulbs can be close together but not touching each other or the side of the container. 

Growing Hyacinths in Water Vases

Special glass or plastic vases can be bought and used as an alternative to a bowl.  The advantage of using one of these vases is that the extensive root system will be in view.  This makes a real talking point and is particularly fascinating for children.  It does, however, make the plants more difficult to transport if you are planning to give them away at Christmas as indoor garden gifts.

To use the vase, simply place the bulb in the top and fill with water so that the water level is just below the level of the bulb.  The water should not touch the hyacinth.

Once planted, treat bulbs growing in water in the same way as ones planted in fibre or compost.

Care After Planting

Put your bowls or vases into a dark, cool place.  Garages or sheds are ideal.  Cover them loosely with a black bin bag if there is any light in the area.

Check periodically and add more water if there are any signs that they are drying out.  If you are using a vases, do not allow the water to touch the bulbs.

Once you can see shoots of around 4 – 5 cm in height, bring your bowls or vases into the light.  At this stage, it is important to keep them out of strong direct light, away from draughts and away from artificial heat sources e.g. putting your bulbs above a radiator would not be a good idea.

A humid atmosphere is also helpful.  This can be created by standing the bowls or vases in a tray of gravel which is kept moist.

Once the flowers are established, the hyacinths can be taken into a warmer room for display but, keeping them in a cooler room, for at least some of the time, will help the flowers to last longer.

Top Tips for Hyacinth Flowers at Christmas

• If the flower buds on your plants are developing more slowly than the leaves once your hyacinths are indoors, move your hyacinths to a cooler place and slow down leaf development by covering the plants for a couple of days.


• Creating a display of mixed colours can be tricky because different varieties of the bulbs grow at different rates.  To make it easier, plant different colours in mini-pots which can be left in the dark or in cooler temperatures for different lengths of time with the aim of bringing them to flower in December.  Close to Christmas, bury these pots with the shoots protruding in a single container to create a multi-coloured display.


• If you plant more than one variety/colour label them as you do the planting, so that you know which pot has which colour in it.

Garden Gifts for Christmas

Growing hyacinths as presents, requires a little forward planning.  If you do not have time for this, take a look at the Garden Gifts available from Spotty Green Frog to find the perfect Christmas present for friends and family member who enjoy gardening.