Sangeetha, you don't mention whether these containers are indoors or outside. Most bulbs need a period of cold temperatures in order to bloom - if yours are indoors, they aren't getting cold enough to do what they're supposed to do.

Muscari typically send up grasslike foliage and then stop several months before they bloom, so don't worry about yours.

Dormancy doesn't mean that the plant stops growing or taking in water - it just means that it's stopped sending up foliage. Even in "dormancy", plants need water to survive the winter. Test the soil with your finger - if it's dry an inch or more down into the soil, you need to water it.

I hope this helps. For more information, look up "forcing bulbs" - this is what it's called when you plant bulbs in a container, and then, by manipulating the temperature and light, you "force" them to grow and bloom at a time other than they would naturally. Lots of people have great success planting spring bulbs in pots, putting the pots in the refrigerator for the winter, and then taking them out in late winter so they can have flowers much earlier than they would if the bulbs were left in the ground.

Dear Debgrow:

Thanks so much for the post... judging from your advice I guess I better start watering my muscari:-))... as for the white hyacinth, I have about 5 bulbs in a container... have them on the inside... with light from a windowsill... all the bulbs have given out foliage and about 3 of them have blooms too... just that lately the flowers have started turning brown... and I also feel that the strong scent they had while flowering has become muted now... should I try keeping my container outside?... and what about water needs?... since this is my first time with bulbs, I am scared of "drowning" them...

I would be thankful for any advise...

Best Wishes,
Sangeetha

You should water when the top inch or so of soil feels dry (poke half your index finger in the soil). Always make sure the pot has a drainage hole because bulbs are very suspectible to rotting. I drench the entire containter in the sink and let the water drain out so I know they got a good soak. And I don't need to water again for a while. Forced bulbs don't bloom for very long but they use up a lot of energy. It's possible you got all you could out of the hyacinth. If they've been blooming for a couple weeks, that's typically all you'll get. That's one reason people who like to force bulbs try to stagger the blooms with various bulbs and planting times. Toss them out after they bloom because they won't do well again.

I agree that a couple of weeks is about as long as you can expect a fully open hyacinth bloom to persist. Part of the fun is watching the leaves appear, followed by buds and patiently waiting for open flowers. Rarely, a large bulb might have a secondary bloom appear.

As far as tossing the spent bulb, I disagree. Some years I give away forced in water, bulbs in bud. People always want to know how they can 'keep' them. Many have had next-year bloom by cutting off each little dry floret, planting out the bulbs in good garden soil, up to halfway of the foliage so that the bulb is about 6 inches deep and leaving them to turn yellow before cutting off the dying stem and foliage. Sometimes they will rest a year, producing only foliage in the resting year.

One lady told me the other day that she just stuck her bulb down in the pot with some kind of indoor palm and that it is blooming again this year already! I've seen others that bloomed the next year, planted properly outside as I suggested. I never discard spent healthy bulbs; patience is rewarded.

Nell

It's good it works out for you, but for me it's just not worth the bother. You are able to plant yours out much sooner than I can, or maybe I just don't have the patience to keep them around that long. I can count on one hand the bulbs that ever did well for me after they were forced. Everyone gets their satisfaction in different ways and for me I'd rather start with fresh bulbs. sangeetha will have to conduct her own experiment and let us know what happened.

As a beautiful gift, I recived a budding hyacinth. It only bloomed indoors for a week. The flowers are all wilted and quickly dying, any way to get it back?