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Years of flipping through various gardening books had given me a vague general idea of how to force bulbs. It sounded easy enough. Pot up some bulbs, chill them and take them out. But if it was so easy, why didn’t I know fellow gardeners who had even attempted it? Maybe experience would be the best teacher.
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Experience is the best teacher. Economy is a great cheerleader. Those brilliant, fragrant hyacinths in the stores every spring have been forced, that is, made to bloom in a pot on a schedule set by humans rather than nature. I rarely buy forced bulbs, or any potted flowering plants, for that matter, being such a cheapskate, er, economy minded gardener. Could I produce some gift-quality blooming hyacinths at a home-grown discount? Last November, when I walked into my favorite big box store and found the remaining bulbs on sale at half price, I had to try forcing. Five dollars plus tax got me a bag of seven "Jan Bos" hyacinths and a bag of twenty Dutch crocus. The shallow pots (reused) and good potting soil were already staples in my house. Having read forcing advice before, I had a vague idea what I'd need to do. As usual, vague was good enough for me. I trusted my memory and made my plans. The potting The weather was gorgeous during Thanksgiving week. Between turkey preparations, I snuck outside to pot up my bulbs. Each eight-inch pot got three inches of soil, then three or four hyacinths, another inch of soil and a large handful of crocus to fill in. Sounds crowded? It is, by most standards of bulb planting. These pots will be viewed like houseplants and should be lush. I watered the pots, sat back and pondered how best to provide thirteen weeks of chill for the bulbs to root. I figured my best choice was my garden shed. I wrapped each pot in newspaper, and placed them in a medium sized cardboard box. Then I stuffed the box with dry oak leaves to provide an insulating blanket all around. I hoped that the unheated shed, in my zone 7 Maryland yard, would provide the required range of 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit without too much extreme in temperature. The waiting.  Oh, the waiting. After a few weeks I peeked. Nothing was happening at the surface but that was actually to be expected. The bulbs should develop roots first. I mustered my self control and covered them back up. It dawned on me that my impulsive project may have been started a little late. I wasn't sure if my forced bulbs were going to arrive in bloom any earlier than the ones in my yard. Oh well, live and learn! No going back now. The sprouting Another peek in mid January. There's a pale but beautiful sprout! Of course, any new sprout in January is beautiful to plantholics like me. Now reassured of some kind of progress I again checked the calendar and decided to 'unearth' (unbox?) the pots on February twenty-fourth. The appointed day Finally, it was time to open the box and bring the pots into the light. Oh joy! There were the fat cones of hyacinth and thin spikes of crocus I'd been dreaming of. Scenes of rot disappeared, replaced by visions of perfect colorful blooms on my windowsill. Carefully lifting the pots overhead, I saw small white roots emerging from the drainage holes. These bulbs had studied the books better than I had.
Keep your cool Now the new leaves needed light. Their bulb energy diminishing, it was time for these babies to start feeding themselves. At the same time, they need to keep their cool. Still on the economy plan (that lottery ticket didn't do its job) I scrounged up a metal reflector and 100 watt compact fluorescent bulb. The pots went to the coolest place in my house, on the floor of the unfinished basement. A day or two of bright light and fertilizer had the leaves considerably greener. A race to the end This last phase of the project moved quickly, maybe too quickly. All the bulbs' leaves were growing. The crocuses began blooming after ten days under the light while the hyacinth buds were just emerging. The various colors of crocus bloomed separately and then wilted. Long, wispy crocus foliage threatened to ruin the display of hyacinth flowers. A spectacular show it was not. Hyacinth heaven But soon, the stars of this show came onstage. The bright, deep pink Jan Bos hyacinths were at peak bloom about March 14th. Huge flower heads rose above deep green leaves. This was what I was really waiting for anyway- the intense color and fragrance of hyacinth on my dining room windowsill. At $1.50 per pot for the hyacinths, I produced flowers that compared well with the grocery store offerings priced at seven dollars or more. (Well, OK, those did include a foil pot covering.) Partial success, at least, was mine. Can it be yours? The basic method If you're considering forcing hyacinths, I assume you have some bulb and potted plant experience. I'll just list the basic steps to follow: - Pot them in a shallow pot, close together, and water them. Three bulbs take a six-inch pot.
- Cover and chill the pots 13 weeks in the 35 to 50 degree Fahrenheit range
- Give a well lit, 60 degree Fahrenheit location to grow
- Fertilize and water until the foliage yellows, then you can plant the bulbs in the garden
And I learned from my experience: - Don't plant other species of bulbs in with them- the bloom time may not coordinate.
- If you want early flowers, don't wait for the end of season clearance on bulbs
- Refresh your memory on the details before you commit
- Even a semi-sucessful garden experiment can be worthwhile!
References Frowine, Steven A. Gardening Basics for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Hoboken, 2007. Bradley, Fern Marshal, and Ellis, Barbara W., editors. Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Rodale Press, Emmaus, 1997. Ellis, Barbara W. Taylor's Guide to Bulbs. Houghten Mifflin Co., New York, 2001.
 | I grew up playing in the Maryland woods, and would still do it often if life allowed! Being outside in a garden or natural area gives endless opportunity for learning and wonder. Naturally (pun intended,) my garden style leans towards the casual, with lots of perennials and bulbs, some native plants, and with small fruits and vegetables thrown in. I want to always see something new when I go in the yard, and always like to try new plants. I thank my parents for passing along their love of gardening and nature, and my husband and kids for allowing me to pursue and share my interests. |
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Subject: How Exciting!
Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on April 8, 2008 at 10:25 PM:I am in zone 9 and have forced hyacinths in the glass vases made for the purpose, but you have inspired me to try them just as you did next late fall. They are just beautiful and I never dreamed i could grow them the way you described. Thanks so much. ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 9, 2008 at 9:02 AM: You're quite welcome! Thanks for your nice comment. ...
Subject: hyacinth forcing
Posted by FLANNIGAN (from Middlefield, OH) on April 8, 2008 at 6:31 PM:Very interesting, will try some next fall. thanks ...
Subject: Excellent!!
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on April 8, 2008 at 9:13 AM:Well done! You just keep getting better and better! This is a wonderful article, good job. Thanks for sharing the information!!! ...
Subject: forcing hyacinth
Posted by nanaluvsflwrs (from Rogers, AR) on April 8, 2008 at 8:40 AM:I did it this year! I love the smell of hyacinth but arthritis makes it difficult for me to get low enough to the ground to smell them. So I planted them in a long planter box last Dec or Jan (here in the southern end of Zone 6), lined a hole in the ground with cardboard to kind of keep the mud off and buried them planter box and all. Then I mulched the whole thing with lots of chopped leaves. They have sprouted, I dug up the box and hosed it off outside and let it dry off and now I have a whole planter box of hyacinth on a table in my house where I can smell them anytime I want to. I did the same with some aromatic jonquils (or is it daffodils--I never know the difference. It worked for them also. ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 8, 2008 at 8:58 AM: Congratulations!! Good for you! Esp for not letting arthritis stop you from getting what you love.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Glad you enjoyed!
PS A jonquil is a kind of daffodil, for those that want to get picky. I just happen to know at the moment because I was reading about them. But don't ask me what kind! Need the book for that. I'm calling them all daffodils for now. ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on April 8, 2008 at 11:27 AM: LOL - calling them all daffodils for now works for me too!
Wonderful article, Sally, I've always wondered EXACTLY more or less how to do those things. Thank you.
xx, Carrie ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 8, 2008 at 7:57 PM: smile- well carrie, I guess I did tell exactly more or less how to do it , huh? my style of living~~ ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on April 8, 2008 at 8:11 PM: I'm with you, sister! ...
Subject: great article
Posted by onewish1 (from Denville, NJ) on April 8, 2008 at 7:13 AM:I haven't tried it before.... this year I had three forgotten about hyacinth bulbs that I potted up ... no chill period... now i know why they didn't bloom... thanks
Allison ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 8, 2008 at 8:59 AM: So sorry! Take care of them tohugh, you might be able to get it next year, especialy since thye skipped it, they should be good and strong.
Thanks for reading and responding! Glad you enjoyed it. ...
Subject: Wonderful article!
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 8, 2008 at 7:11 AM:Thanks for a great article, Sally! There's just enough detail to let me know how and why you did the various steps... but you made it sound much less tricky than the instructions given in some gardening books I've read.
Your first attempt sounded a bit like mine (little yellow tulips and purple 'Miss Saigon' hyacinths), and although my pot of bulbs wasn't the most gorgeous specimen of its kind, I loved having those spring blooms in the house in winter! Next year, I'll get some potted up on time so I can try again... and, like you, I think I'll stick with single-species pots. If I get them to flower simultaneously, I can always group pots together for a "garden" display!
Thanks for encouraging me to give this another try. I'm with you! :-)
... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 8, 2008 at 8:54 AM: It really isn't that complicated, is it?
Yup, you can rotate if they go separately, or group if they're together- can't go wrong ... Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 8, 2008 at 4:54 PM: This is something I have never tried, but your article makes me want to...
Thanks, it is an excellent read. ... Posted by cedarnest (from Northeast, NE) on April 8, 2008 at 9:37 PM: Positively Loved Your Article!! I love forcing hyacinths in the spring....have several blooming now in fact and my house smells wonderful! Nothing says spring like the smell of a blooming hyacinth : ) ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on April 9, 2008 at 8:59 AM: Thank you, Sharran and cedarnest! ...
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