When to plant and prune Hyacinth
Hyacinth flowers from early March to late April and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Hyacinth is timed from the average frost dates, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to early November | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| South Coast and Channel | late September to late October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to late October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| South East and Home Counties | mid September to early October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| East Anglia | early September to early October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to early October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Wales and West Coast | mid September to mid October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Northern England | late August to late September | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late August to mid September | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early August to late August | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Northern Ireland | mid September to early October | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to early November | early March to late April | late April to mid May |
Growing notes
Depth: plant 10cm deep and 7.5cm apart in early autumn. Fully hardy in the ground but can suffer in containers in cold gardens and severe winters. Flower spikes get looser and smaller in later years, so many gardeners replace bedding hyacinths annually.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 8 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 25 cm
- Eventual spread
- 10 cm
- Hardiness
- H6
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 5 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Feeding
High-potassium liquid feed for container-grown bulbs from when growth appears until about six weeks after flowering.
Pruning group
Cut the spent flower stalk off at the base after flowering; leave the leaves to die down
What usually goes wrong
- slugs and snails
- squirrels digging up bulbs
- bulb rot in wet soil
- flower spikes becoming sparse in later years
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for hyacinth.