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starting hyacinths and amaryllis

Brie
Brie Posts: 13,421 Ambassador
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
Hey all you green fingered types!

I love hyacinths and have had them flowering over Christmas in the past but am late starting this year.  (as in I'll start this Saturday)  Any tricks to motivate them?  I want to give a friend a small pot with some for a late December birthday present and would like them to at least look like they might flower soon ish.

And amaryllis - finally got myself a bulb as no one got me one for my birthday (harrumph!) I've followed the instructions about potting it up and NOT watering it until the green bit is a couple of inches up.  What temperature is best for this?  It's indoors on the kitchen window sill but this is about the coldest place in the house - maybe not much over 17 unless there's a good bit of sunshine streaming in.

Likewise would the hyacinths do best being cold and dry or warmer and a bit damp?  I intend to put them in soil as the OH thinks having them in one of those bulb vases is a bit creepy.


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Comments

  • Brie said:
    Hey all you green fingered types!

    I love hyacinths and have had them flowering over Christmas in the past but am late starting this year.  (as in I'll start this Saturday)  Any tricks to motivate them?  I want to give a friend a small pot with some for a late December birthday present and would like them to at least look like they might flower soon ish.

    And amaryllis - finally got myself a bulb as no one got me one for my birthday (harrumph!) I've followed the instructions about potting it up and NOT watering it until the green bit is a couple of inches up.  What temperature is best for this?  It's indoors on the kitchen window sill but this is about the coldest place in the house - maybe not much over 17 unless there's a good bit of sunshine streaming in.

    Likewise would the hyacinths do best being cold and dry or warmer and a bit damp?  I intend to put them in soil as the OH thinks having them in one of those bulb vases is a bit creepy.


    The ones that flower at Christmas are specially heat treated by the nursery and need eight to ten weeks in a dark place for the roots to grow. If you ‘rush them’ with light and water you get a disappointing flower spike and the whole plant then keels over (don’t ask me how I know). I would give your friend something else and have yours as a Spring treat.

    Amaryllis are much more forgiving because they come from a climate that is similar to UK indoor spaces. They just need plenty of light and not too much heat. They appreciate soil and a heavy pot reduces the aforesaid risk of keeling over.
  • twopenny
    twopenny Posts: 6,791 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Put a big stone in the bottom of the pot.

    Don't think you can rush hyacinth. Sorry..... and unless they are the ones that are treated to bloom early, being in a pot of earth/bulb fibre  will make them a spring flower.
    They need to be in the dark for 10 weeks I believe (I tried to shorten this but it didn't work and the result was poor) and then 3 weeks in daylight.
    You're sort of 3 months out Brie :) 

    Or cheat and buy some ready to go for your friend and keep the others for you as Spangles says.

    I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!

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  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 13,421 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Thanks @Sarahspangles & @twopenny

    Buying a nice (ish) pre done pot will be best for my friend - more expensive but she doesn't need a birthday or Christmas card as I know she'll get both of those in plenty.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
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