Delft Blue Hyacinth

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Delft Blue'

flower

Delft Blue is the classic Dutch hyacinth, famous for the heady perfume of its dense, waxy flower spikes. Each stout stem, eight to ten inches tall, is packed with soft porcelain-blue, star-shaped florets that open over two to three weeks in mid-spring above strappy bright green leaves. It is one of the most fragrant of all spring bulbs, wonderful massed in beds, lined out in formal plantings, grown in pots, or forced in water indoors for winter bloom. Hyacinths are hardy perennials, though the fat first-year spikes tend to loosen and naturalize into a more relaxed, informal flower in later years.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Tulip: Blooms in the same mid-spring window at a similar height for a coordinated formal bulb planting
• Grape Hyacinth: A low echo of the same blue at the front of the bed while the taller hyacinths perfume the air
• Daffodil: Pairs the hyacinth fragrance with bold yellow trumpets, and the toxic daffodils help keep rodents away

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Bulb rot →

  The main hyacinth problem - plant in well-drained soil, never waterlogged ground, and discard any soft bulbs at planting

• Aphids →

  Can cluster on emerging buds; rinse off with water and they rarely return

• Gray mold →

  Give airflow and avoid overhead watering in damp spring weather; remove any spotted leaves

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Hyacinths make intensely fragrant, if short, cut flowers - cut the spike low in the cool morning when the lower florets have opened, and a single stem will perfume a whole room. They are also the classic bulb for forcing: chill the bulbs for about ten weeks, then set one over water in a hyacinth glass or pot it up for fragrant winter bloom indoors. In the garden, deadhead the spent spike and let the leaves ripen fully.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

A purely ornamental, prized for fragrance rather than food or wildlife value. The early flowers offer a little nectar to bees on warm spring days, but hyacinth is grown above all for its perfume in the spring garden and the vase.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Hyacinth bulbs, and to a lesser degree the leaves and flowers, contain toxic compounds (including oxalates) concentrated in the bulb, and are poisonous to dogs, cats, and horses if eaten, causing drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. Handling the bulbs can also cause mild skin irritation, so wear gloves when planting. Keep bulbs away from curious pets.