Hyacinthus orientalis is known for their gorgeous, showy flowers – and intense fragrance. Native to Asia and Europe, these plants have more than 60 cultivars to choose from, varying in size and color. More commonly known as hyacinth, these are one of the most popular, and easiest to grow spring bulb plants. In Southern California, it is best to plant the bulbs in fall. After a few seasons, these bulbs will lose their vigor.
Hyacinth, which have many different varieties and forms that range in shape and flower color, are often found in blooms of white, red, pink, purple, and blue. To maximize their fragrance, hyacinth should be planted in groupings.
The deep purple of hyacinth. The flowers come in white, red, pink, purple, and blue.
Landscape Planting – Hyacinthus orientalis Basics
Botanical Name: Hyacinthus orientalis
Common Name: Hyacinth
Type: bulb, perennial (each bulb loses vigor after a few growth seasons)
Native Range: Asia and Europe
Size: 6 to 12 inches tall, 3 to 6 inches wide
Bloom Time: Spring
Bloom Color: White, red, pink, purple, and blue
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water & Soil: Moist but well-draining soil. Moderate water needs.
Maintenance: Remove spent blooms by cutting off the flower stock, but leave the leaves.
Suggested Use: Group planting, spring color
Hyacinth’s blue flowers and long, deep green leaves
For landscape planting, hyacinth grow best in full sun areas, but can handle partial shade. They tend to need six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Our landscape designers at Creative Concepts Landscape will be happy to look over your property and determine areas that are optimal for these types of plants.
Our designers can take a look at your property and see if hyacinth’s needs can be met. We create a design plan for all of our consultations to determine what plants and needs match each individual property. Hyacinth makes an excellent addition to colorful spring gardens with their eye-catching blooms and intense, pleasant fragrance. Their long light green leaves and beautiful flowers can be incorporated into many different design types. Again, Creative Concepts Landscape will help to determine the best location on your property, or create the conditions to promote a healthy, beautiful garden.
Hyacinth has moderate water requirements and prefer to stay in moist, but well-draining soil. The bulbs will rot if they sit in soaked soil for too long. During spring they will need irrigation systems or regular hand watering, often up to twice a week if it is not raining regularly. Creative Concepts Landscape has installed many irrigation systems (drip and sprinkler), and we would be happy to take a look at your property to come up with a design that could meet hyacinth’s needs.
Hyacinth needs well-draining soils, which much of the soil in Southern California is. Often, you will want to add potting soil to increase the organic content of the soil. Creative Concepts Landscape will determine what conditions would be best for hyacinth in your landscape and make the necessary additions and changes.
Hyacinth bulbs should be planted in fall for an early spring bloom. They can be planted in pots, as well as in the garden soil.
Pruning & Maintenance
Hyacinth has maintenance needs, from planting the bulbs at the right time in fall (plant the bulbs with specialty bulb fertilizer, and feed them again in spring), to making sure they have adequate water (but not too much), and finally trimming them and tending to their bulbs. In many cases, providing supplemental water for these plants, while they are growing in spring, is the highest maintenance requirement. Creative Concepts Landscape has been installing irrigation systems for over twenty years. We will be happy to schedule a consultation and come up with an irrigation system plan and install it. Creative Concepts landscape also repairs and refurbishes existing irrigation systems, so they are in optimal, efficient condition.
Outside of maintaining an irrigation system for hyacinth, they will need some pruning when their flowers begin to fade. The blooms and their stalks should be removed, however keep the leaves in place. Creative Concepts Landscape has options for maintenance schedules. Many of our clients have us maintain their property weekly or two times a month, however we also offer periodic cleanups. These cleanups range from four times a year, twice a year, and sometimes once a year. We will be happy to talk with you and determine a maintenance/cleanup schedule that fits your property needs.
Hyacinth planted in large groupings makes for an eye-catching carpet of color, with an intensely pleasant fragrance
Landscape Uses
For landscape planting, hyacinth grow well in a variety of locations with full sun and partial sun, and is useful as an eye-catching group planting. Creative Concepts Landscape gets many requests for garden installations, of which hyacinth can be a beautiful addition. Our team of designers and technicians has decades of experience designing and installing gardens.
Creative Concepts Landscape creates a landscape plan and design for your specific property characteristics along with your wants. Our highly experienced designers will be able to see what plant types and layout will complement your landscape’s existing features to come up with a planting design plan.
A beautiful illustration of hyacinth and their bulbs
Thank you for joining us again in this week’s horticultural adventures. Please come back next Wednesday for out next blog post, and as always, contact us for all your landscape needs!
By Daniel Williams
Client Liaison for Creative Concepts Landscape