Bought some lovely yellow & purple hyacinth bulbs from Home Bargains down Hillsborough. It said on the instructions to plant them 8 inches deep.This seems very deep to me.I have done, but I wonder if they will come up ? They are in a container.

6" would be my best bet :thumbsup:

Are they indoor or outdoor varieties Pattricia?
This is for indoor:
Plant individual bulbs into 8cm (3in) pots of moist bulb fibre. People with sensitive skin should wear household gloves when handling the bulbs as the dry scales release tiny, needle-shaped crystals which can irritate the skin. Label the pots with the bulb's variety and flower colour to help when arranging displays later.


Nicked from The BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/houseplants_hyacinth.shtml)

8" deep does sound excessive :confused:

Twice the depth of the bulb.

For Outdoor varieties
Your Hyacinth bulb can be grown in bulb fibre or in a light, rich, sandy soil mixture. Bulbs should be placed in the container so that they nearly touch, and covered with soil until just the tips peek through. After planting, the bulbs should be watered well.

They can be left to flower at their usual time in spring, or forced, to promote blooming in winter.


And this was nicked from This Webby (http://www.aa-florist.com/Hyacinth%20Bulb.html) that also describes 'forcing' for winter flowering.

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING BULBS! :o :suspect: :nod::thumbsup:

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING BULBS! :o :suspect: :nod::thumbsup:
That's only for "Halogen" bulbs Don so you dont get fingerprints on the glass. :hihi:

For Outdoor varieties


And this was nicked from This Webby (http://www.aa-florist.com/Hyacinth%20Bulb.html) that also describes 'forcing' for winter flowering.

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING BULBS! :o :suspect: :nod::thumbsup:

Don, Im afraid Ive planted them about 7inches deep in containers outside.Would you bring them further to the top ? Those instructions were actually on the back of the pack. :huh:

It's a pretty safe bet to plant any bulb twice the depth that the bulb is high- so smaller bulbs go shallower, but hyacinth bulbs are really big, so that sounds fine to me.

Stop worrying- they'll come up in spring just like they're meant to.

Don, Im afraid Ive planted them about 7inches deep in containers outside.Would you bring them further to the top ? Those instructions were actually on the back of the pack. :huh:
tbh mate I have never had any hyacinths - I googled the info & posted the link, it's a suck-it-n-see job I guess :confused: :)

i plant all big bulbs -daffs,hyacinths etc at trowel depth. stops any chanc of early/late frosts getting to the new growth.
planted some daff bulbs end of august and theyve already rooted...(dug one up by accident when planting some new shrubs)

Since I've just bought some to plant indoors for Christmas (yes it's getting to that time again folks!) just wondering when people might suggest when I should plant the hyacinth bulbs. Mr. Titchmarsh says before Sept 15th for prepared ones... anyone any advice?

If you have an outside loo or cellar where you have cold and dark conditions (or a decent sized fridge) then almost any time from now will do.

Pot them up and water but drain properly, then put in a plastic bag that's not sealed so nothing will get mould. Then put them somewhere properly cold and dark (and I mean really dark). The description 'as cold as your fridge' which I read on a webby about forcing bulbs kind of implies actually putting them in your fridge if the weather outside doesn't have decently cold nights to emulate winter for a month or two.

Once they have had a month or so of really good cold snap then you can fetch them out any time and they will grow and flower within 2-4 weeks- actual time depends on type and lots of variables. When you fetch them out they'll need somewhere light (windowsill) but cool (maybe a spare bedroom or a north facing room) where they can be turned regularly and watered regularly but gently.

If preparing for Christmas, I'd err on the side of later rather than earlier for flowering. You get no points for hyacinths that flower the week before you want to give them as gifts. I'd probably move them from the serious cold to an unheated room and some light the second week in December.

BTW- you'll have some very short and pale growth in the time in the dark. This is normal and it will all green up when they are brought back into the light.