Hyacinth bulbs

Hyacinth bulbs: fragrant hyacinths for the garden, pots and indoors

Few spring flowers announce themselves before you see them. With hyacinth bulbs you can bring that sweet, rich fragrance into your garden, onto your patio or into your living room. Each bulb produces a sturdy, densely packed spike of starry bells in blue, white, pink, purple or soft pastels. Compact, colourful and dependable, hyacinths are one of the loveliest ways to start the spring.

In this collection you will find hyacinths in carefully balanced mixes. Plant them in autumn in borders or containers, or grow them indoors for early flowers on the windowsill. Like the rest of our flower bulbs, they come fresh from the grower.

Why grow hyacinths?

There is a place for hyacinths in every garden and every home. Here is why so many people buy hyacinth bulbs each autumn:

• That unmistakable scent: a few hyacinths by the front door or on the patio will perfume the whole area in April.
• Lots of colour in a small space: the compact spikes are ideal for small gardens, window boxes and pots.
• Indoors and out: hyacinths are among the easiest bulbs to force, in water or in a pot.
• Sturdy and weather-resistant: short, strong stems keep them upright through wind and spring showers.
• Early food for pollinators: outdoors, the flowers attract bees and bumblebees in spring.

When to plant hyacinth bulbs

For the garden, the best time is from October to December, as long as the ground isn't frozen. You can start in September, but cooler soil reduces the risk of fungal problems. The bulbs root through autumn and winter and need a cold spell before they will flower in spring.

How deep and how far apart?

Plant the bulbs roughly 10 to 15 cm deep, pointed end up, with about 10 cm between them. That works out at around 25 to 40 bulbs per m². For a full, fragrant display, plant in groups of at least five to seven bulbs of the same colour.

The right spot and soil

Hyacinths prefer sun or light shade and soil that drains freely, as bulbs sitting in wet ground soon rot. Open up heavy clay with some compost or grit. Choose a spot you pass often, near the patio, the front door or under a window, so you get the full benefit of the scent.

When do hyacinths flower?

Outdoors, hyacinths usually flower in April, sometimes late March after a mild winter, and each plant looks good for two to three weeks. They bloom alongside many tulip bulbs and later daffodils, just after the first crocuses. Combine all three and you will have colour from February well into May. Forced hyacinths indoors flower much earlier, during the winter.

How to force hyacinth bulbs indoors

Hyacinth bulbs in water are a winter classic. You can watch the white roots grow through the glass, and a few weeks later the flower opens and fills the room with scent. It is easy, as long as you give the bulb a proper winter first.

What you need

A hyacinth vase with a narrow neck that holds the bulb just above the water, a firm, healthy bulb and a cool, dark place. For flowers around Christmas, prepared hyacinth bulbs are usually used, as they have already had a cold treatment. Ordinary bulbs can be forced too, but they need a longer cold spell at home and will flower later in the winter.

Growing hyacinth bulbs in water, step by step

• Water to just below the bulb: fill the vase so the water sits about 1 cm below the base of the bulb. The bulb itself should not touch the water, or it may rot.
• Keep cool and dark: place the vase somewhere dark at around 5 to 9°C, such as a shed, garage or the salad drawer of the fridge, away from fruit.
• Be patient: after about 8 to 12 weeks the vase will be full of roots and the shoot a few centimetres tall.
• Bring into the light gradually: move the vase to a cool, bright spot for a few days, then into the house. The cooler the room, the longer the flowers last.
• Top up the water: keep the level constant and refresh the water if it turns cloudy.

Indoor hyacinth bulbs in pots

Prefer not to use a vase? Plant a few bulbs close together in a pot of compost, with their noses just showing. Give them the same cool, dark period as in water and you will have a fragrant bowl of spring for the windowsill or table.

Hyacinths in the garden and in outdoor pots

Outdoors, hyacinths look best in generous groups and in containers close to the house.

In the border

Plant hyacinths in drifts along the front of a border or among low perennials. Blue hyacinths look stunning next to yellow daffodils, while white and pink sit calmly alongside pastel tulips. After a few years the spikes become looser and more natural, which suits an informal garden beautifully.

In pots on the patio or balcony

A pot on the patio is the best place to enjoy the scent. Make sure there is a drainage hole and a layer of crocks or grit. Try the lasagne method: tulips at the bottom, hyacinths in the middle and crocuses on top, so the same pot flowers for weeks. You will find a suitable container among our outdoor pots and baskets. In a hard frost, move the pot against a wall or wrap it up.

Combining hyacinths with other spring bulbs

Hyacinths make a fragrant centrepiece in any spring planting. Combine them with other spring bulbs for a long season: crocuses open the show, daffodils and hyacinths take over and tulips bring it to a close. Not sure which colours or varieties work best together? Our Personal Plantshopper is happy to help you choose.

Which hyacinths are in this collection?

We offer hyacinths as mixes, so one choice gives you a harmonious colour scheme.

Shades of blue

The Blue Water mix is all about classic hyacinth blue, from soft sky blue to deeper tones. Blue is the colour most people associate with hyacinths, and it goes with almost everything in spring.

Soft pastels

The Pastel mix brings together pale pink, soft blue, white and lilac. Ideal for a romantic border or a row of pots by the front door, and lovely with white tulips.

A colourful mix

If you want a cheerful spring, choose the mixed hyacinths, with a range of colours for a playful, vibrant effect. Want hyacinths and other bulbs sorted in one go? Have a look at our bulb mixes too.

Note that bluebells, sometimes called wild hyacinths, are different plants that spread naturally in the garden. You will find them among our naturalising bulbs.

Caring for hyacinths after flowering

With a little care you can enjoy your hyacinths again next year:

• Remove the flower stem only: cut off the faded spike so the plant doesn't waste energy on seed.
• Leave the leaves: wait until the foliage has turned completely yellow, so the bulb can build up reserves for next spring.
• Forced hyacinths: a hyacinth grown in water or an indoor pot is exhausted after flowering. Plant it out in the garden in spring; after a year or two it will flower again, with smaller, looser spikes.
• Feed: a little bulb fertiliser or compost after flowering helps the bulb recover.
• Wear gloves: the outer skin of hyacinth bulbs can irritate the skin. Bulbs are not edible, so keep them out of reach of pets and young children.

Order your hyacinth bulbs from Green Bubble

✔ Fresh from the grower
✔ Fragrant hyacinths for the garden, pots and vases
✔ Clear planting and care advice
✔ Personal advice from our Personal Plantshopper

Plant your hyacinth bulbs this autumn and bring the scent of fresh hyacinths into your home and garden next spring.