How do I get "full" hyacinth blooms

I love the look of hyacinth, but I cant get mine to have full blooms. All look like this one, or even fewer flowers. I get so excited about my Spring blooms, but I have to say... I dont care for this look at all LOL. Any help would be appreciated.

Shelly,

First question is, is that the first year of bloom? If not, you should know that hyacinths naturally "decline" somewhat and produce looser stalks of florets as years go by - the first year is usually the best. If this is the first year of bloom, where did you buy your bulbs? The better online retailers sell bigger bulbs than what you will typically find in garden centers, and some of them, like Van Engelen, even allow you to buy hyacinths by size (16" -17", or 18"-19", as examples). Also, the type of hyacinth you buy has an impact - some varfieties naturally produce bigger florets and bigger stalks than others. If you like a fuller display, plant lots of bulbs an inch or so apart.

This message was edited Apr 2, 2005 1:41 PM

This message was edited Apr 2, 2005 1:41 PM

Thank you Steve.. this makes sense! I bought them at Home Depot last Spring (I thought they looked like "average" sized bulbs maybe 2-3 inches round). In the future, I will look for the bigger bulbs.

Buy new bulbs each year. Minimum size 15-16 cm will do fine in the garden. Use size 17-18cm or 18-19cm for forcing indoors. Using these large sizes in the garden and they most likely will fall over unless you stake them.

Well, mine have come up two years in a row with spectacular results. I'd give them some TLC (fertilizer, such as super phosphate) and give them another year. Might be the soil needs some help? Have you done a soil test lately?

Thank you for the replies! I use fert. in Fall and Spring, and throw compost on the area every fall. I havent tested the area, that will be the next step! Thank you again.