Hyacinths Won't Bloom: Reasons For Hyacinth Flowers Not Blooming

Potted Hyacinth Flower With No Blooms
hyacinth leaves
(Image credit: cris180)

You know it's spring when the hyacinths are finally in full bloom, their tidy spire of flowers reaching into the air. Some years though, it seems like no matter what you do your hyacinths won't bloom. If yours are failing you this year, check with us to discover the most common causes of a lack of bloom. It may be easier to get your hyacinths back on track than you imagined.

How to Get a Hyacinth Bulb to Bloom

Hyacinth flowers not blooming is a common garden problem with many easy solutions, depending on the cause of your bloom failure. Having no blooms on hyacinths is a frustrating problem. After all, these bulbs are practically fool proof. If you've got lots of stalks, but no hyacinth flowers, run down this checklist before you panic. Timing - Not all hyacinths bloom at the same time, though you can reasonably expect them to appear sometime in early spring. If your neighbor's hyacinths are blooming and yours aren't, you may just need to wait a little longer. Give them time, especially if they're new to the garden. Age - Hyacinths aren't generally strong enough to last forever, unlike your tulips and lilies. These members of the bulb garden begin to decline after about two seasons. You may need to replace your bulbs if you want blooms again. Prior Year's Care - Your plants need plenty of time in a full sun location after they bloom to recharge their batteries for next year. If you cut them back too soon or plant them in a low light location, they may lack the strength to bloom at all. Prior Storage - Improperly stored bulbs may lose their flower buds to dehydration or inconsistent temperatures. Buds may also abort if they're stored near sources of ethylene gas, common in garages and produced by apples. In the future, cut one of the bulbs in half if they're stored in a questionable location and check the flower bud before planting. Discount Bulbs - Although there's nothing wrong with getting a garden bargain, sometimes you don't get as good of a deal as you really hoped. At the end of the season, leftover bulbs may be damaged or the discounted remainders just too shrimpy for full production.

Kristi Waterworth
Writer

Kristi Waterworth was a regular contributor to Gardening Know How for many years, answering countless queries on plant pests and diseases.