Have you found some good deals on hyacinth bulbs or received a potted hyacinth as a gift? These lovely, fragrant spring flowers look beautiful growing in your flowerbeds. As your flowers fade, or even before that, start thinking about transplanting hyacinth bulbs from pots to the ground.
I’ve purchased all of my hyacinths (scientific name: Hyacinthus) as potted flowers around Eastertime. After blooming, or sometimes while still in bloom, I’ve planted the bulbs out in my flowerbeds.
Consider these tips and steps for how to transplant hyacinth bulbs from pots or transplanting to a different part of the garden.
When is a good time to transplant hyacinths?
Most gardening advice strongly urges waiting until after flowers bloom to plant them in the garden. For hyacinths specifically, plan to plant them in the middle of the fall or early winter. Plant them any time before the ground freezes.
Hardy perennials also seem to do just fine when transplanted from pots bought at garden centers and nurseries. If you are transplanting hyacinth bulbs from pots to the ground, or even just moving them around in your garden, you can try replanting them before the flowers bloom or anytime thereafter.
It’s also possible to plant blooming Easter flowers in the garden straight from the flowerpot, although your mileage may vary.
Replanting Hyacinth Bulbs
Sometimes it’s necessary to replant hyacinth bulbs because they’ve grown in a poor location.
Here in our flowerbed, the hyacinths were doing just fine, until I accidentally planted a shrub right on top of them. I didn’t have their location marked and the plants weren’t visible above ground when I planted our spirea, so the two ended up tangled up together thereafter.
The poor hyacinth bulbs grew up from within the roots of the spirea. I successfully managed to dig them up, at least most of them, without hurting the shrub. After rescuing them, I was able to replant hyacinths elsewhere in the garden.
I used a large shovel for this task and loosened the soil all around the shrub, eventually popping it up to free the hyacinth bulbs.
I replanted several bulbs from my hyacinths in a different spot in the yard. When they bloomed, I was so surprised and happy to see how beautiful they came up!
Transplanting Hyacinth from Pot to Ground
When you luck into a potted hyacinth plant, absolutely be sure to plant it in the ground when it’s done blooming or at a time that is convenient for you.
Transplanting hyacinth bulbs from pots to the ground is easy and almost foolproof. Try these simple steps for replanting hyacinth bulbs:
Dig a hole in the flower garden for the hyacinths. Make the hole 4 to 6 inches deep.
Remove the hyacinth bulbs from the pot and loosen the soil a bit. Usually, you can place the whole thing into the soil as long as it isn’t overcrowded. If you wish to separate multiple bulbs, you may do so.
Place one or more hyacinth bulbs in the hole, pointy side up. You can plant clusters of hyacinth bulbs for an attractive mass planting or place them individually to stretch them further.
Cover loosely with soil to fill the hole. Use care around any exposed foliage or blooms.
Water adequately. Monitor the hyacinths over the coming days and weeks to pick up on signs of stress or signs of growth.
Transplanting Hyacinth Bulbs & More Tips
Consider these tips on transplanting hyacinth bulbs from pots to the ground or merely throughout the garden.
Hyacinths can survive the winter outdoors in zones 4-8. If you live in a colder climate, plan to lift your bulbs and store them indoors over the winter.
Consider keeping hyacinths in pots for flexibility. You can grow them indoors or outside. You can even winter them over in your garage or basem*nt if needed.
Force potted hyacinths to bloom by chilling them first. Plant the bulbs in containers and keep the temperatures consistently between 40 and 45 degrees for 12 weeks or more. They should bloom beautifully for you when moved to a warmer temperature in a room with good sunlight.
FAQ
Yes, you can replant hyacinths from your own garden, from pots, or purchased bulbs. Hyacinths do rather well when replanted in the garden, blooming beautifully in new spaces.
Don’t throw out those Easter arrangements! Many of the flowers like hyacinths in particular can be transplanted into the ground for repeat appearances every spring. You can allow the foliage to die back a but and then plant, or replant everything when it is convenient for you.
I’ve had success with both methods here in Pennsylvania.
In an ideal situation, you should plant hyacinth bulbs in the fall so that they have the best blooming come springtime. However, you can also plant the bulbs after they are done blooming in the spring.
By the way, if you found this post helpful, you might also like to check out our post on Transplanting Daffodils in Spring and Beyond.
Do you have any good tips on transplanting hyacinths in the garden? Feel free to hit us up in the comments with any stories, tips, or questions you may have. We love to hear from you!
Happy Gardening!
04.25.23 – Updated post to improve spacing. Added FAQ and 2 photos.
When the shoots are about 5-10cm tall, bring the container into a warm (light) position. Full light is essential to prevent stems from becoming lanky, as they'll topple under the weight of the flower heads. compost or allowing it to completely dry out. After flowering, indoor hyacinths can be planted outdoors.
While you should have kept their leaves intact as long as possible, it's now safe to trim them back to just the bulb and roots. Cut back dead foliage to the base of the bulb and store the whole pot in a cool, dry, and dark space for some beauty sleep. Do not water or feed the plant.
I have moved bulbs at less than ideal times, with good success. They do not always bloom the following spring but quickly adjust to their new location and flower the following season.
After your hyacinths have bloomed, remove the faded flower spikes and allow the foliage to die back. Dig up the bulbs, discard any damaged or diseased ones, and then dry them and store in paper sacks before replanting in the fall.
Due to their attractive flowers and delicious smell, potted hyacinths are a popular gift. Once they're done blooming, though, don't rush to throw them away. With a little care, you can keep your indoor hyacinth after blooming to ensure many more fragrant blossoms in the future.
Grape hyacinth bulbs should be planted 2 to 3 inches deep. Pro Tip: Plant hyacinth bulbs in masses to maximize their sweet scent. Set the bulb in the hole pointy end up. The pointy end is where the shoots of the plant will emerge in the spring.
With potted hyacinths, the easiest way to do this is to store the bulbs pot and all until autumn. The soil can dry out completely. However, you can also lift them and store the bulbs on their own if you want to use the container for something else meanwhile.
Curing hyacinths is very easy. Lay the bulbs out on a newspaper in a cool, dark place for three days. After that, store them in a cool, dark location in a mesh bag. They're now ready to be planted in your garden in the autumn or forced indoors in late winter.
Sun or Shade: For the largest flowers and straightest stems, plant your hyacinths in full sun. The bulbs will also flower in light shade or half-day sun. Hardiness Zone: Hyacinths are winter hardy in growing zones 4-8. In warmer climates, the bulbs need to be pre-chilled before planting.
Follow the rule of thumb when planting bulbs and give the bulbs at least 2 times their height of soil above them. Dig a 6-8 inch deep hole, drop the bulb into it and cover with soil. Regarding the spacing between bulbs, if planting in beds, leave approx 3 inches between each cluster of bulb.
Squirrels and chipmunks avoid daffodils—which are poisonous—as well as alliums, scilla, hyacinth, grape hyacinth (muscari), fritillaria, camassia, chionodoxa, snowdrop (galanthus), and summer snowflake (leucojum). Tulips, unfortunately, are a delicacy for them.
Hyacinths, like most plants grown from bulbs, bloom just once. Hyacinths bloom in late spring, generally later than most daffodils and other early bloomers. However, that single bloom time lasts for up to four weeks, so you'll get a lot of mileage from that one bloom.
yes plant in fall. Yes most certainly and plant it now . Most do not realize those plants are greenhouse grown and will no make it to the fallAs long as your weather is warm and the ground is workable it will be fine. Leave all the foliage on the plant as the biulbs feed from that.
When the chilling time is complete, you can either plant the bulbs in a pot with soil, or snuggle them into a container that's been filled with pebbles and a little water. Note that hyacinth bulbs have a powdery coating that can cause skin irritation, so always wear gloves when handling them.
In late September or early October, fill half of a well-draining pot with soil and place the hyacinth bulbs on top, with their pointy ends up. Then add more soil till only the tops of the bulbs are sticking out. Plant as many bulbs in the pot as you want, as long as they don't touch the side or each other.
When to Plant: Hyacinth bulbs should be planted in mid to late fall, any time after the first frost and before the ground freezes. Depth and Spacing: Plant hyacinth bulbs 4 to 6” deep and 5 to 6” apart on center. You may plant the bulbs individually or dig out a larger area and plant 5 or more bulbs at the same time.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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