How to Move a Hyacinth While It Is in Bloom

Preparation

• 1

  Select a new planting site that gets direct sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours per day. A location that receives some shade in the afternoon is preferable but not absolutely necessary for hyacinths.

• 2

  Prepare the new location before digging up the blooming hyacinth. Make sure the soil in the new location drains well. Hyacinth bulbs tend to rot in soil that stays too wet. Loosen the soil in the new planting location to a depth of 12 inches with a rototiller or dirt shovel. Mix aged shredded bark, compost or peat moss into clay soil at a rate of 1 part organic matter to 1 to 2 parts clay to improve drainage.

• 3

  Dig the planting holes with a bulb planter or small hand shovel to a depth of 6 inches. Space holes for multiple hyacinth bulbs 6 inches apart.

Lifting and Replanting

• 4

  Dig the hyacinth up by carefully lifting it with a garden fork or dirt shovel. Push the fork or shovel into the soil a few inches away from the hyacinth and push it up out of the soil.

• 5

  Place the hyacinth in the new planting site. Fill the hole in around the bulb to half full using a small hand shovel or by pushing the dirt in by hand. Fill the hole to the top with water and allow it to soak in. Finish filling in the hole with soil and water the hyacinth again. Mulch the planting location to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.

• 6

  Do not fertilize the hyacinth at this time. Giving fertilizer to hyacinths in bloom can shorten the blooming period and cause the bulbs to rot. Mix 1 to 2 tsp. of water-soluble balanced fertilizer, a 10-10-10 or 5-10-10 ratio, or bulb fertilizer along with about 1/4 cup of bonemeal into the top of the soil around the hyacinth in the fall. Use 5 tbsp. of fertilizer and 2 cups of bonemeal for 10 square feet of garden area where multiple hyacinths are planted.