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.
