Hyacinths in the winter

The best pots to use for hyacinths are ones with a hole at the bottom.

1. Put some pot shards or a layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot.
2. Partially fill the pot with potting compost or soil.
3. Place the flower bulbs on top of the potting compost, arranging them right next to one another. The tops of the flower bulbs should stick up just above the edge of rim of the pot.
4. Now continue filling the pot with soil. Tamp the soil gently. The ‘noses’ of the flower bulbs should be just above the soil.
5. Water the soil until it is nice and wet but not muddy.
6. Place the flower bulbs in a cool dark spot. The best temperature is around 9 degrees Celsius but never warmer than 13 degrees Celsius. And always avoid freezing temperatures. Look at them every week to see if everything is OK. Keep the soil moist.
7. But what if you don’t have a spot like this? No problem: just bury the pot with its flower bulbs outside. Make sure that the rim of the pot is about 10 cm below the soil surface. Here, you don’t have to water the bulbs because the rain will provide enough.
8. After 10 to 12 weeks outside, you can bring the flower bulbs indoors. Don’t put them right next to a window in full sunlight, and keep them as far away from the radiator as possible. Plants are attracted to light and this makes them lean in that direction. For this reason, rotate the pot halfway around every day.
9. After a few days, the flower bulbs can be placed in direct sunlight. Be sure to keep the soil moist. In another few weeks, the flower bulbs will bloom.

You can also get hyacinths to bloom without any soil. To do this, you can use a special hyacinth glass, but a jam jar will work just as well. Fill the glass or jar with water and place the flower bulb so that it rests on the rim and just barely touches the surface of the water. The first roots will appear in just a few days. Care for the flower bulb just as you would flower bulbs in a pot. Put it in a cool place like a cellar, garage or cabinet (but not buried outside, of course).

It’s also fun to paint your own flower pot first. If someone will be having a birthday soon, a pot with flower bulbs would make a very nice gift.

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