Hyacinth Bulb

Buy hyacinth bulbs online in Pakistan for the most powerfully scented flower of the winter garden. A single hyacinth spike carries dozens of waxy star-shaped florets packed tightly around one short stem, and the perfume from one pot will fill a room. Imported bulbs, supplied loose and ready to plant.

Colours Available

White, soft pink, and violet-blue.

Bulbs are supplied as a mixed selection, so every order gives you a spread of colours rather than one shade.

Growing Guide for Pakistan

• Cold treatment comes first: A hyacinth will not produce a full spike without roughly ten to thirteen weeks at 4 to 9 degrees. Bulbs sold for the plains are usually supplied already chilled. If yours are not, keep them in the lower part of a refrigerator for eight to ten weeks before planting, in a paper bag, and never in the same drawer as apples, bananas or other fruit. The gas that ripening fruit gives off destroys the flower bud inside the bulb while leaving the leaves perfectly healthy, which is exactly why some people end up with grass and no flower.
• Plant: November to December in the plains once the soil has cooled; October to November in Murree, Swat, Abbottabad and Quetta.
• Depth and spacing: 10 to 12 cm deep with the pointed nose upward, and 10 to 15 cm apart. In a pot, set them almost shoulder to shoulder with the tips just at the surface.
• Flowers: February to March in the plains; March to April in the hills.
• Height: 20 to 30 cm. No staking needed, though a heavy spike in a pot leans towards the light, so turn the pot every few days.
• Sun and soil: Full sun to light shade in free-draining soil. A raised bed or a pot suits hyacinths far better than heavy ground, because a bulb sitting in wet soil simply rots.
• Water: Moderately, and only once the top of the soil is dry. They need noticeably less water than most winter flowers.
• After flowering: Cut the spent spike off and let the leaves die down naturally. In the plains the summer is hot enough that most gardeners treat hyacinths as a one-season flower and plant fresh bulbs each autumn.

Growing Hyacinths in Water, Without Any Soil

Hyacinth is the classic bulb for growing in a glass. Sit a chilled bulb in the neck of a narrow jar or a hyacinth vase so the base of the bulb is just above the water and never touching it, then keep it in a dark cupboard for six to eight weeks while the roots fill the glass. Once the shoot is about 8 cm tall, bring it into the light. It is the simplest indoor flower there is, it needs no soil at all, and watching the roots fill the jar is half the pleasure. It also makes an unusually good gift.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do hyacinth bulbs need cold treatment in Pakistan? In the plains, yes. Without a cold period the bulb makes leaves and a stunted spike that never clears the foliage. Eight to ten weeks in a refrigerator before planting solves it. In Murree, Swat and Quetta the winter does the job for you.
• Why did my hyacinth give leaves and no flower? Almost always one of two things. Either the bulb never had its cold period, or it was stored near fruit. Ripening fruit gives off a gas that kills the flower bud inside the bulb without harming the leaves, so the plant comes up looking perfectly healthy and never flowers.
• How strong is the scent? Very. Three bulbs in one pot will scent a whole room, and some people find a pot beside the bed too much of a good thing. A hall or a sitting room suits it better than a bedroom.
• Can I grow hyacinths indoors? Yes, and they are one of the best bulbs for it, either in a pot of free-draining mix or in water in a glass. Keep them in the coolest, brightest spot you have.
• Which way up does the bulb go? Pointed end upward, flat root plate down. A hyacinth planted upside down will usually still come up, but late and crooked.
• Will they flower again next year? In the hills, yes, for a few seasons. In Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Karachi the bulb rarely rebuilds itself through the summer heat, so plan on fresh bulbs each autumn.
• Are these bulbs or seeds? Bulbs, mature and ready to plant, and they flower in their first season. Hyacinths raised from seed take four to six years to reach flowering size.
• How should I store them before planting? Cool, dark, dry and airy, in a paper bag rather than plastic, and away from fruit. If they still need chilling, the refrigerator is where that storage should happen.