When to plant and prune Grape hyacinth
Grape hyacinth flowers from early February to late April and the dates below cover planting and flowering.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Grape 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 |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to mid December | early February to late April |
| South Coast and Channel | late September to late November | early February to late April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to early December | early February to late April |
| South East and Home Counties | mid September to mid November | early February to late April |
| East Anglia | early September to early November | early February to late April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to early November | early February to late April |
| Wales and West Coast | mid September to late November | early February to late April |
| Northern England | late August to late October | early February to late April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late August to late October | early February to late April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early August to early October | early February to late April |
| Northern Ireland | mid September to mid November | early February to late April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to mid December | early February to late April |
Growing notes
Depth: plant 10cm deep in autumn (the RHS trial planted its bulbs 10cm deep in containers in the first week of November). Leaves of M. armeniacum appear in autumn and look untidy through winter - that is normal. Spreads freely by offsets and seed, so site it where colonising is welcome. Cones of nectar for foraging bees.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 8 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 20 cm
- Eventual spread
- 8 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 5 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Pruning group
No pruning needed; remove spent flower spikes if you want to limit self-seeding and let foliage die back
What usually goes wrong
- spreads and self-seeds vigorously
- untidy overwintering foliage
- bulb rot in wet soil
- will not flower in deep shade
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for grape hyacinth.