Gardening Flowers Bulbs How to Force Hyacinth Bulbs in a Vase Soothe your winter blues by bringing these sweet-smelling flowers into early bloom. By Tovah Martin Tovah Martin Facebook Instagram Tovah Martin is the author of 16 books on gardening, and a writer, producer, and stylist for many garden stories featured in BH&G, as well as other prominent national and regional publications. She lectures throughout the country to botanical gardens and garden clubs, as well as often appearing as a speaker for Master Gardener symposiums. Tovah has been the keynote speaker at the New England Flower Show & Perennial Plant Conference and has served as a judge for the New England Flower Show and the Philadelphia Flower Show.Tovah has always been fascinated by plants, beginning with an independent study of herbs followed by 25 years at Logee's Greenhouses focusing on houseplants. She left Logee's to work at the esteemed White Flower Farm, helping that company introduce houseplants into their catalog. Simultaneously, she has always written about gardening, launching her writing career with articles for The New York Times and Horticulture Magazine followed by 14 years as Hearst's Victoria Magazine's garden editor.Since Hearst's Victoria ceased publication, she has continued writing for publications in the US and abroad, including Gardens Illustrated in Britain and Korean Airlines' inflight publication, Morning Calm. For two years, she chronicled the planting and progression of Piet Oudolf's perennial and bulb combination borders for the New York Botanical Gardens. In her articles, she also shares knowledge gained through fanatical and obsessed gardening endeavors at Furthermore, her 7-acre property in CT. At Furthermore, she maintains perennial, vegetable, and annual gardens as well as mixed borders, lawn replacement plantings, a large meadow, and cut flower beds. Indoors, she cultivates over 200 houseplants and is continually collecting plants to bolster her knowledge. And in her spare time, she collects garden antiques and hugs her goats.Tovah has been featured for a CBS Sunday Early Show segment on terrariums. She has been a guest on the Martha Stewart Show, At Home, The Victory Garden, the Indoor Gardener, B. Smith with Style, Home Matters, Chronicle, and the HGTV Way to Grow Show as well as appearing frequently on radio broadcasts including NPR and Martha Stewart. She spent two years as the Editorial Producer and frequent guest on the PBS television series Cultivating Life with Sean Conway.Tovah is an accredited Organic Landcare Professional with NOFA (Northeast Organic Gardener Association). She is an Honorary Member of the Garden Club of America and the Litchfield Garden Club. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on July 28, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email When you're tired of snow and ice and itching to get back out into your garden, forcing bulbs indoors can help cure your spring fever in winter. If you head to your local garden center, florist, or even grocery store in midwinter to early spring, they should have prechilled bulbs for sale. With a few bulb-forcing vases, some water, and a little patience, you can turn those bulbs into fresh blooms and fill your home with the sweet aromas that are a sign of spring. Here's how to force bulbs in a vase so you can enjoy hyacinths before spring officially arrives. Jason Donnelly Tools and Materials: Forcing vasesPrechilled hyacinth bulbsGlovesWater Kindra Clineff Step 1: Chill the bulbs (if needed) Before you get started forcing hyacinth bulbs, they need to be chilled. Usually, you can buy pre-chilled bulbs, but you can also chill regular hyacinth bulbs (Walmart) yourself. Place them in the crisper drawer of your fridge for at least 12 weeks, and keep them away from produce (it's a good idea to keep your bulbs in a paper bag). Test Garden Tip: Make sure you wear gloves when you're working with hyacinth bulbs because they can cause a skin reaction and irritate your eyes. Kindra Clineff Step 2: Add water If you buy pre-chilled bulbs, remove them from their pot and rinse off the soil (if they've been potted), and snip off up to half of the roots' length. Fill the forcing vase ( Etsy) to just below the cup where the bulb will rest. The bulb will reach for the water. Kindra Clineff Step 3: Add bulb Place the hyacinth bulb in the cup—root end down—and growing end up (you might already see a tiny green sprout) so the base is just touching the water. Place the vase in a spot that gets bright, indirect light and out of reach of pets (hyacinths are toxic to cats and dogs). Periodically change out the water and keep the level at the base of the bulb. Give the vase a quarter turn every day to keep the plant growing straight up. When the flower buds start to show color, move your hyacinth into a spot where it will get direct sun. Once the flowers have withered, you can add the bulbs to your compost pile, or transplant them into your garden in the spring. They won't bloom again right away, but if you let them hibernate for a year, they might sprout again the next spring. Buy It: Blue Hyacinth Bulb Forcing Kit (The Home Depot) Hyacinths aren't your only option for forcing bulbs in water. You can also try amaryllis (they're especially popular around the holidays!), tulips, crocuses, irises, daffodils, and fragrant paperwhites. All of these will grow with just a vase full of water, but you can also grow them indoors potted in soil. Like hyacinths, all of these bulbs are a great way to bring early blooms to your home. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit