Forcing hyacinths for Christmas is a fun way to introduce unique flowers into your holiday celebrations. Because they are spring flowers, hyacinths bring a cheerfulness to the cold, short days of winter.
Planting hyacinths to get them to bloom in winter isn’t difficult, but it takes some specialized knowledge. With some careful planning undertaken in autumn, you can have gorgeous, fragrant blooms for the holidays.
Here, we explain why you should consider doing it, steps for forcing bulbs successfully by Christmas, and common mistakes to avoid.
Why Grow Hyacinths for Christmas?
Forcing hyacinths indoors builds on a long tradition of coaxing spring bulbs to flower out of season. Spring flowers blooming in winter bring cheer to cold winter days indoors. Hyacinths also have a sweet smell that brings a sense of warmer days to the chilliest time of year.
Forcing bulbs in winter gives you a unique type of décor for the holidays. Even if you get the timing wrong, you’ll be able to enjoy spring flowers in December or for the New Year. Forcing hyacinths is an easy and fun activity for kids, as well, and these spring blooms make great gifts.
Choosing and Preparing Hyacinth Bulbs
Timing is essential for Christmas hyacinth bulbs. Spring bulbs only bloom after they have experienced a certain amount of time in cold temperatures. This is why we plant bulbs in the fall for a gorgeous spring garden next year. You can force a bulb to flower by mimicking this chill period. They then need a period of about three weeks of warmer temperatures and light.
To prepare hyacinth bulbs with a chill period, simply put them in a brown paper bag in your refrigerator crisper. Alternatively, you can buy pre-chilled bulbs. If you’ll be preparing your own, choose large, firm bulbs and start chilling them 13 to 15 weeks before Christmas.
This timing accounts for the chill period and warm period for most hyacinths. Different varieties have different timing needs. If you’re running out of time, try ‘Anna Marie,’ a variety that only needs eight chill weeks. Of course, you can also use pre-chilled bulbs if you have just a few weeks before Christmas to force them to bloom.
How to Force Bulbs for Christmas Blooms
Whether you chilled the bulbs yourself or bought pre-chilled bulbs, the next step is setting them up to grow roots and to bloom. There are two setups to choose from: soil and water.
To force in soil, choose a sturdy pot or wide dish with drainage holes and fill it partially with high quality potting mix. Don’t use ordinary garden soil, which is too heavy and will retain too much water. You can make your own DIY potting mix or purchase some like Miracle-Gro indoor potting mix from Amazon.
Place the bulbs in the container nose (pointy side) up. The bulbs’ necks should be level with the edge of the container. Add a little more soil or some pebbles around the bulbs. The necks and noses of the bulbs should remain exposed.
To force bulbs in water, choose a specially designed bulb forcing vase or use any glass or vase of the appropriate shape and size. This gorgeous handmade blown glass bulb forcing vase is available from East Fork and makes a great gift for friends (or yourself!). Looking to have forced hyacinth bulbs all over your house? This multi-pack of bulb vases from Amazon is a great option. Support forced plants with bamboo skewers if they get too leggy.
No matter the container you choose, you should be able to set the bulb on the top of the vase so that the nose and neck stay out of the water. Fill the vase or glass with water and place the bulb point up so that only the base and roots of the bulb are in the water.
Caring for Indoor Hyacinths
Ease your bulbs gently into warmth and sunshine. Start them in a cool location with no direct light and move them closer to light and warmth over the course of a couple of weeks. For bulbs in soil, water regularly so that they stay moist but not soggy. For bulbs in water, change out the water when it gets cloudy or add water as needed to keep the roots wet.
Within a few weeks, you should have flowers. Keep watering as they bloom. Once the flowers fade, the foliage will start to yellow and die. You can either throw out the bulbs or plant them in the garden after winter forcing. They might not bloom again until the following year.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Forcing bulbs is generally easy, but there are some common mistakes that can prevent you from getting the best outcome.
- Don’t skimp on the chill period. You might get leaves but no flowers. If this happens, put the bulbs back in a cool, dark place for a few days and try again.
- Don’t let the bulbs get too wet or they’ll rot. For water-forced bulbs, the water level should be just at the base of the bulb. For soil-forced bulbs, ensure the container will drain excess water.
- If you are chilling bulbs in the refrigerator, keep away from fruit. Fruit gives off ethylene gas, which inhibits flower development.
- Avoid skin irritation from handling hyacinth bulbs by wearing gloves. Not everyone is sensitive, but touching hyacinths can cause a mild skin rash.
- It’s easy to wait too long if you’re hoping to get flowers for Christmas. If this happens, buy pre-chilled bulbs.
Hyacinths make a unique and cheerful addition to holiday decorations. Start planning now for successfully forcing bulbs by Christmas.
