Expert: Long Island Gardener - 5/5/2008

Question
I purchased these lovely plants in pots this spring and now the leaves and blooms are gone. Can I save them for Fall to plant so we can enjoy them another season? How do I save them? Or should I plant them now? I live in central Iowa, 50276, or zone 5.

Answer
Lucky for you, Hyacinths are some of the most perennial of Bulbs and easy to repeat next year.  You can plant them outside in a Sunny location; let them go dormant, and next Spring it will be deja vu all over again.

The Hyacinths, that is.

The Tulips alas are another story.  These are notoriously unreliable when it comes to even the best of circumstances.  A small handful of native and Single Early Tulips return year after year.  But most return, at best, by the few, dwindling to nothing by year 3.  These are just not bred for repeat performance.

The Hyacinths could be returning for the next 10 or 20 years if you play your cards right.

L.I.G.

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Sorry to say I just noticed your comment and it does include a question.  It's probably too late to use any advice from me, but on the off chance you are still waiting for an answer, and since you were so nice to rate me, let me throw in my 2 cents:

It would indeed be just fine to put your Hyacinths in the ground now, in the cool dampness, just where you want them to bloom next year.

It should be a Sunny spot that won't be growing flowers during the Summer.  Reason being you don't want to give this more moisture than you have to while it's dormant, all Summer long.  Under an Evergreen with exposure to afternoon Sun is perfect.

Remove from the pot, place in hole in the ground, and settle in, then water once.  You probably won't have to do that again.  A mulch will keep the area free of Weeds during the Summer.  Nature abhors a vacuum, as you know from that old gardener's saying.

Easy as pi.

Good luck, and I hope this will be at least a bit helpful.

L.I.G.