You can plant hyacinths from early March right through to the end of May.
In the garden, you need to plant in a well-drained area as hyacinths don’t like wet feet. Raised beds give great drainage if the area is a bit too wet. The bulbs do not need any fertiliser at planting time, everything they need is stored in the bulb itself.
In pots, choose a good quality potting mix with some slow release fertiliser in it as they are confined to a smaller space, they will benefit a little fertiliser. You can plant a bit shallower in pots as it leaves more room beneath the bulbs for the roots, but the pot should still have a reasonable depth as the bulbs like to put out long roots and should be covered by at least 5cm of mix.
In the garden, there’s little more to do after planting and watering in. In early spring as the shoots emerge, fertilise with a balanced N:P:K 15:10:10 fertiliser to give the plants a boost.
With pots, there are some very important dos and don'ts after planting. Hyacinths, like tulips, need to have a cold period after planting so they can develop the flower bud properly before spring. Planting hyacinths in a pot in autumn and then sitting the pot in a nice sunny area is the worst thing you can do, because pots warm up rapidly in direct sunshine, even in winter.
After planting, move the pot to a cool, shady position in your garden. Bring the pots out into a sunnier position and fertilise on the surface of the pot in early spring.
Regular watering to keep the mix just damp in pots is the best.
To ensure good flowering next year, make sure you keep looking after the bulbs after flowering.
For detailed information see our Fact Sheet on Hyacinth.