A Guide To Growing Hyacinths From Seed

Hyacinths are spring-blooming perennials that are native to the eastern Mediterranean area. Modern varieties of hyacinths are developed mostly from Holland.

Hyacinths may be small, but they are available in many colours and they provide tremendous fragrance.

Growing Hyacinths From Seed

Hyacinths can be grown indoors and outdoors following proper preparation and care.

Hyacinths are a perfect choice for a side plant or border plant. When they are in bloom, they require relatively little maintenance.

Hyacinths are usually grown from bulbs, but growing them from seed is possible, but it is hard work.

My grandad always had hyacinths in his beautiful garden, but he always grew them from bulbs.

But I got curious, and wanted to find out if it was possible to start them from seed instead.

Growing hyacinths from seed can take some time and care, and the process will not always be successful, but it’s worth the wait.

Let me show how you can grow hyacinths from seeds – step by step.

Top Tips For Growing Hyacinths From Seed

To grow the perfect hyacinths from seed, there are a few conditions you need to get right – I will explain more:

Choose The Right Location

For hyacinth seeds to develop well, they need a shady location.

This place should be protected from a few things: wind, direct sunlight, and rats or birds – you don’t want any pesky thieves taking the seeds.

Seeds can be planted in the springtime in outdoor areas, but it’s essential to soil has good drainage. Sandy soil can be beneficial for creating an effective drainage system.

Try to prevent weeds from sprouting in the area by using gardener’s material. If weeds grow, they can overpower the fragile seedlings.

How to Plant Hyacinth Seeds

To give your hyacinth seeds the best chance of survival, I would recommend growing them in a greenhouse.

However, if you do want to grow them directly outdoors, follow these steps:

  • You will need to start by digging a suitable hold in the ground to plant your seeds. Dig a hole big enough to accommodate your seed trays.
  • Plant your seeds as a good distance from one another in the seed tray and then place it in the garden bed. It can be helpful to cover the seed area with a glass sheet or netting to stop them being dug up.
  • Water your hyacinth seeds well and then be sure to water them twice a week.

Your hyacinth seeds should start to sprout after 1-3 months.

When you are sure the last frost has passed, you can remove the glass covering or the netting and replace it with a suitable mulch.

It’s important to be aware that your seedlings will need to remain where they are for another year.

Growing hyacinths from seed really is a slow process, which is why a lot of people don’t do this.

Any seedlings that survive the first year can be transplanted into a new flower bed in their second year, but remember that it will still be another few years before the plants flower.

Growing Hyacinths From Seed

How To Harvest Hyacinth Seeds

If you already have some beautiful hyacinths in your garden, and you want to have a go at growing these flowers from seed, you may want to take these from the plants you already have.

It’s fairly easy to harvest your own hyacinth seeds – let me talk you through how you can do this:

Seeds should be ready for collection between April and September – just be sure to wait for the seed pods to start to dry out.

Gently extricate the seeds by hand – you should find tiny black seeds inside the pods if they are ready to be harvested.

As with most other seeds, you will need to dry your hyacinth seeds for a couple of weeks.

After drying out the seeds, soak them in water for a day and dry them out again.

Finally, pop them in the fridge until they start to germinate.

Conclusion

Hyacinths are beautiful blooms with a lovely fragrance.

Planting them from seed can be rewarding, but it does require, time, patience and the right conditions.

If you are going to grown hyacinths from seed, make sure you choose a good location and keep the seeds safe from being dug up.

Don’t forget to keep them safe from frost too.

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