Hyacinth Arrangement {Easy DIY Hyacinth Bouquet}

Bring springtime splendor into your home with a beautiful hyacinth arrangement! Fragrant and luxurious, hyacinths are gorgeous spring flowers. In this flower arranging tutorial, you’ll learn how to make and care for a DIY hyacinth bouquet.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more

DIY hyacinth arrangement

Once the holiday season is over, I get super excited about springtime. Although it’s January, and I still see mounds of snow outside my window, I desire a bouquet of spring flowers in my home.

Though I appreciate all the magnificent and colorful blooms spring has to offer, I especially love the luxurious and sweet-smelling hyacinths. Their lush, star-shaped florets are just so pretty.

A hyacinth arrangement adds a wonderful pop of color and will fragrance your space with an intoxicating scent. Plus, hyacinth flowers are long-lasting, allowing you to enjoy your bouquet for many weeks.

In this flower arraigning tutorial, you’ll learn to design a simple hyacinth bouquet. I’ll share plenty of tips along the way and advice on tending to your arrangement to ensure a long vase life.

Materials & tools

The supplies list for this hyacinth bouquet is fairly short. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Hyacinths are beautiful on their own, and there’s really no need to add any other flowers or extra foliage. You can mix and match any hyacinth colors you like. I opted for a selection of white, light pink, and hot pink blooms. Please scroll to the FAQ section, where I share a few more color combos and flower pairings.
• Vase: I used a medium-sized glass vase that shows the stems. A ceramic vase or galvanized bucket are attractive options as well.
• Garden sheers to cut and shorten the stems.
• Paring knife to trim the basal plate.
• Flower food (optional) to nourish and feed the hyacinths.

How many flowers do I need for a hyacinth arrangement?

For a medium-sized vase, you’ll need approximately 13 to 25 hyacinths. I used 17 stalks for my bouquet.

Hyacinth colors

Hyacinths have oblong flower heads, densely studded with small, waxy florets and long, spear-shaped leaves. They come in almost all shades of the rainbow. White, pink, purple, and violet are the most common colors. Light blue hyacinths are the rarest color.

• White
• Cream
• Yellow
• Apricot
• Orange
• Salmon
• Red
• Burgundy
• Pink
• Purple
• Lavender
• Violet
• Blue

When are hyacinths available?

At the flower shop, hyacinths are available from late December/early January to March or April. In your garden, you’ll find them blooming from early to mid-spring.

Each hyacinth bulb usually produces 1 stem that grows 8 in to 10 in / cm to cm tall. It takes approximately 3 weeks for the flower to open once the first leave emerges.

Where can I buy hyacinths?

You’ll find hyacinths at flower shops, supermarkets (like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods), grocers, farmer’s markets, and sometimes even garden centers. A few retailers also offer hyacinths online, but they are pretty pricey.

If you have a garden, you can grow hyacinths as cut flowers. Gardener’s World has an in-depth article on planting and growing hyacinths outdoors.

How much do hyacinths cost?

An assorted bouquet of 10 to 15 hyacinths costs between $5 to $10, making it a very affordable spring bloom. I paid around 12 bucks for 20 flowers.

How to make a hyacinth arrangement

Assembling a lush hyacinth arrangement is quick and easy. Let me walk you through the process step-by-step.

Step 1: Prep flowers

• Unwarp your hyacinths and cut the elastic bands holding them together. Remove any loose leaves. Hyacinth cut flowers have a bulbous part at the bottom, called the basal plate, which is indeed part of the bulb. Leave the bulb on for now, but use a paring knife and cut off a thin layer of the basal plate so the flowers can absorb more water.
• Set the hyacinths in a bucket of fresh, cool water so the flowers can rest and the dirt and mud wash off. Optionally, add a tablespoon or sachet flower food.
• Let your hyacinth blooms hydrate for at least 1 hour, but overnight is best. Fully hydrated flowers will last longer.

Step 2: Divide flowers

• Spreading the leaves out, cut the flower stalk as close to the basal plate as possible.
• Then cut off the leaves just above the bulb. Hyacinth plants usually contain a smaller flower sprig that you can save for another arrangement.

Step 3: Clean stems

• Rinse the stems under cool running water if you notice any mud or sand.

Step 4: Arrange hyacinths

• Fill your vase with cool water and optionally add flower food.
• To start, place a few hyacinths stems around the vase’s circumference. Nestle bundles of 3 to 4 leaves between the flowers.
• Then fill the vase with more flowers. Try to create a domed shape with a few leaves scattered throughout.

Step 5: Finishing touches:

• Take a step back and observe your floral bouquet from all angles. Reposition and add more flowers as needed. Your hyacinth arrangement is ready!

FAQ

What are good hyacinth arrangement color combinations?

As mentioned earlier, hyacinths come in nearly all colors of the rainbow. While you can go full rainbow and mix and match all colors, a hyacinth arrangement will look more harmonious if you choose related colors.

Here are a few color combinations that look terrific:

• Warm tones: yellow + apricot + orange
• Cool tones: white + violet + blue
• Light tones: white + yellow
• Deep tones: deep pink + violet + dark blue
• Spring: white + yellow + apricot + light pink
• Pastel: white + peach + soft pink + pastel purple
• Feminine: white + soft pink + deep pink (I chose this color combination for my hyacinth bouquet.)
• Patriotic: white + red + blue

Of course, monochromatic bouquets that feature only a single color are also very beautiful.

Can I make a hyacinth arrangement in advance?

Yes, you can create your hyacinth arrangement 1 to 2 days in advance of an event or party. Store the hyacinth bouquet in a shaded, cool place. Make sure the flowers aren’t exposed to direct sunlight or any heat sources.

What do hyacinths smell like?

Hyacinths are incredibly fragrant and have a powerful, sweet smell, which Experimental Perfume Club describes as “floral green with vegetal aquatic accents and sweet and spicy notes.”

Since the hyacinth scent is so strong, I avoid displaying my hyacinth arrangement in the bedroom. Otherwise, the smell might feel a little overpowering.

What flowers go well with hyacinths?

Other spring flowers such as tulips, daffodils, calla lilies, and viburnum make good companions for a hyacinth arrangement. Hyacinths are dominant flowers and are best paired with flowers that are similarly commanding.

And for greenery, eucalyptus (e.g., true blue, silver dollar) and ruscus (e.g., Italian or Israeli) are great options. Hypericum and solidaster make nice additions for a hyacinth arrangement as well.

Hyacinth care

How to care for a hyacinth bouquet

• Water: For the best vase life, change the water every other day and remove wilted leaves and flowers.
• Placement: Place your hyacinth bouquet in a cool location where the flowers aren’t exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid putting them next to heat sources such as air vents, fireplaces, or radiators.
• Trim: Hyacinths continue to grow in the vase. If the stems start to overgrow, trim them back a little. Of course, you can also enjoy the natural growth and leave the bouquet as is.

How long does a hyacinth arrangement last?

Depending on the ambient temperature, a hyacinth arrangement will last at least 1 to 2 weeks. The blooms fare well in cool to moderately warm surroundings but will fade quicker under warm temperatures.

Hyacinth meaning

Origins

The name “hyacinth” comes from Greek mythology. According to legend, the sun god Apollo taught the young boy Hyakinthos how to throw the discus.

This angered Zephyr, god of the western wind, and he blew a gust that hurtled the discus back in the direction of Apollo and the boy, slaying Hyakinthos. A flower sprung in Hyakinthos’ blood, which Apollo named hyacinth.

Later times

Victorians considered hyacinths a symbol for sporting (the discus, remember?). In his epic poem The Waste Land, T.S. Elliot writes about the Hyacinth Girl, where the bloom appears as a sign of first love.

Hyacinth color meanings

• Blue hyacinths represent sincerity.
• Purple and violet hyacinths express regret and can be given to ask for forgiveness.
• White hyacinths are associated with loveliness.
• Pink and red hyacinths symbolize recreation and sporting activity.
• Yellow hyacinths express jealousy.