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How to grow Hyacinths in the UK

Chunky spikes of flowers with an amazing scent in spring.

• DifficultyEasy peasy
• WhereBeds or Pots
• Sunfull sun or part shade
• Grows to25cm
• Spacing15cm
• Time to first pickabout 24 weeks
• Typebulb

When to sow, plant and harvest hyacinths

Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.

Planting it

1. Dig a hole to a depth of 10cm
2. Set each one in with the pointy end (or the shoots) facing up
3. Space them 15cm apart each way
4. Cover with soil, press down gently and water well
5. Push in a label so you don't dig them up by mistake

Top tips for growing hyacinths

• Wear gloves when planting - the bulbs can make skin itchy.

Soil and feeding

Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.

Harvesting and eating hyacinths

Enjoy the scent! Bring one in a pot indoors.

Saving your own hyacinths seed

They come back every year.

1. Leave the leaves to die back naturally - they feed next year's flowers
2. Bulbs slowly multiply underground. Every few years, dig up crowded clumps after the leaves die and replant them spread out

Where to buy hyacinths plants

Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon

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Hyacinths questions

When do I plant out hyacinths?

Plant hyacinths out from mid September to late November.

When can I enjoy hyacinths?

Hyacinths is ready from mid March to late April. Enjoy the scent! Bring one in a pot indoors.

How long do hyacinths take to grow?

Roughly 24 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.

Are hyacinths easy to grow?

Hyacinths are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.