Blooming Time for Hyacinths

Hyacinth Bloom Time

• The bloom time for hyacinths lasts roughly two weeks and occurs at some point between early March and late April. Planted as bulbs in late fall after the first frost, some time in late November in most areas, they spend the winter months developing roots and stems that emerge in early March. In areas of heavy snow, the stems, surrounded by a cluster of straplike, pointed leaves, push through the earth once the ground has cleared. This can be as late as mid to late April in areas where spring is slow to arrive. In areas where winters are dry, hyacinths may emerge from the soil earlier.

Planting Hyacinths

• Staggering hyacinth plantings through November ensures bloom through March, April and even slightly beyond. Plant hyacinth bulbs with the pointed end up about 7 inches deep and 6 inches apart in rich, well-drained soil in a sunny area in late fall before the first hard frost. If planted too deeply, the plants may do poorly or not emerge at all. If planted before the ground has cooled, the bulbs push through the soil too soon. It takes roughly three weeks for the plant's spent flowers to fall off. Leave the foliage on until it yellows and wilts, and then gently remove them so as not to damage the bulbs.

Forced Hyacinth Blooming Time

• Hyacinth bulbs can be forced indoors for blooming at any point from December through April. Grown inside, the plants emerge and bloom for about two weeks, after which the foliage turns yellow and wilts. Successful forcing requires exposing the bulbs to the same cold treatment they'd receive growing outdoors. Place them in the refrigerator for at least 13 weeks. Bulbs exposed to the cold treatment in September are usually ready for moving to a sunny location for blooming around mid-December. Stagger the cold treatment for multiple bulbs for a steady supply through the winter with several two-week bloom time overlapping each other.

Hyacinth Varieties

• Dutch hyacinths are the most widely grown, but the fragrant flower has two other cousins including the Roman hyacinths that produce two or three thinner stalks and fewer blossoms, and multiflora hyacinths that produce multiple stalks and more loosely scattered blooms. The leaves of all three plants grow around the flower spike, but vary in thickness and length. All three produce flowers ranging from the standard bluish-purple to deep pink, orange and white, with a bloom time of roughly two weeks. Hyacinths are among the spring bulbs that eventually naturalize, adapting to their environment often producing new plants the following year during March and April.