Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) - blue flowers, illustrated plant card

Illustration

Hyacinth

Hyacinthus orientalis

Hyacinth blooms from April through April.

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Bloom calendar

Bloom time

Apr

checked

Hardiness

Zones 4–8

checked

Sun

Full sun

checked

Water

Moderate water

checked

Mature size

10 in × 5 in

checked

Type

Bulb

house classification

Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.

Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 10 in tall and 5 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).

Is Hyacinth toxic to dogs or cats?

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension.

Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.

Verification

Planting record checked

What was checked

Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.

See the 13 sources it was checked against

When to plant Hyacinth

Hyacinth is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8. It pays you back the following April.

Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.

How big does Hyacinth get?

Illustration of Hyacinth drawn to scale beside an adult — About 10 in tall and 5 in wide at maturity: shin-high beside an adult.

See Hyacinth in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.

Where these facts come from

Hyacinth's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.

Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
NC State ExtensionHyacinthus orientalisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
depts.ttu.eduTexas Tech Universityheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
Missouri Botanical GardenHyacinthus orientalis, the speciesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
Missouri Botanical GardenHyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Jacket'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
Missouri Botanical GardenHyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
RHSHyacinthus orientalis, common hyacinthheight, spread, sun, water and trait tags
Missouri Botanical GardenHyacinthus orientalis 'Jan Bos'height, spread, hardiness zones and trait tags
University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extensionheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
byf.unl.eduUniversity of Nebraska-Lincolnhardiness zones, sun and water
Clemson Home and Garden Information Centerits Hyacinths sectionsun and trait tags
University of Georgia ExtensionUGA Cooperative Extension, Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardens B918 (H...height and trait tags
ipm.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouriheight

How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.

Comes in 11 varieties across 7 colors

Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.

Across the group, bloom runs from March through April: Anna Marie opens first (March) and is also the last to finish (April).

Compare every variety in the Hyacinth group

Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.

Variety	Color	Blooms	Hardiness	Sun	Size (H × W)
Anna Marie	Pink	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Blue Jacket	Blue	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Carnegie	White	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
City of Haarlem	Yellow	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Delft Blue	Blue	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 8 in
Gipsy Queen	Orange	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Hyacinththis page	Blue	Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Jan Bos	Red	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Miss Saigon	Purple	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Pink Pearl	Pink	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Splendid Cornelia	Purple	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in
Woodstock	Purple	Mar–Apr	Zones 4–8	Full sun	10 in × 5 in

Good to know about Hyacinth

Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.

Safety

Toxic to dogs, cats and horses; all parts, and the bulb most of all. Eating it causes drooling, intense vomiting and diarrhea. per ASPCA

Worth knowing

One chemistry does three jobs: the calcium oxalate that makes the bulbs deer and rodent proof is the same stuff that poisons pets and gives bare hands 'hyacinth itch'. per NC State and Clemson

How deep to plant

Two rules of thumb differ, but for a standard bulb both land at 4 to 6 in deep. Plant deeper in light or sandy soil, shallower in heavy soil. per Clemson and University of Maryland

Force it for winter scent

A classic bulb to force indoors: give it 12 to 15 weeks of cold near 40 to 45 F, then a cool bright spot for flowers in weeks. per Iowa State and Wisconsin

Deer and squirrel proof

A reliable pick where deer and squirrels are a problem: they rarely touch the toxic, bitter bulbs, unlike tulips and crocus, which rodents love to dig up. per NC State and Clemson

Wear gloves when planting

Handling dry bulbs can cause 'hyacinth itch', an irritant rash from sharp calcium oxalate crystals in the bulb. Wear gloves and the problem goes away. per NC State and Clemson

Bloom fades over years

Left in the ground it needs no lifting, but the show fades: spikes loosen and flowers shrink year over year. Roman (multiflora) types are smaller but more persistent. per NC State and Clemson

What pairs well with Hyacinth

Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.

Decadence Dark Chocolate False Indigo
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Color Guard Yucca
Shares full sun and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; taller at 4.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Idaho Fescue
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Prairie Junegrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Inkberry Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; stands well above at 7 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Berry Box Pyracomeles
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.