hyacinths

[Patf]

I've bought a wicker container of 3 hyacinth bulbs for inside the house. Do I need to water the compost stuff? Looked on Google and couldn't find anything about watering.

[nectarine]

I'm not an authority on this so don't take my word as gospel, but I bought a similar hyacinth container last year and kept it watered so the compost was slightly soggy all the time, and the hyacinths thrived beautifully.  They would dry out very quickly too, so I think they need to take in a lot of water.  After they had come to the end of their life in teh pot I planted them out in teh garden and got another crop later.  I seem to recall, as a kid, putting hyacinth bulbs into tall containers of water with no earth in it, and the bulb flowered, so I guess they need a lot of liquid.  That's my view anyway.  Professional gardeners may have another opinion!!

[Patf]

Thanks Nectarine. I put a small amount of water in but it all ran out again. Anyway they are flowering nicely now.

[Kitty]

Bulbs do need watering.  In dry spells, you should water them for good results.  You do have to be careful as too much water in the fleshy folds can turn to mould.

[Tony F Dordogne]

All plants, even cacti, need watering at some time.  Hyacinths certainly do and our amaryllis (bought for charity in France) certainly needs watering to sustain it.

[tegwini]

I read somewhere that more plants are killed by over-watering than under-watering, but hyacinths growing in winter, indoors, with central heating, fires etc do dry out, and need water.

I've grown them successfully outdoors for a year or two, but they seemed to vanish eventually- eaten,  rotted ?    BUT, worth the hassle, gorgeous smell.   Blue bells are related to them & make a glorius show here, but I am starting to plant them in my little forest in France.

Regards

Tegwini