How to Take Care of a White Hyacinth

Select a planting site for the white hyacinth with full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Break up the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches and then rake the bed level.

Add a layer up to 4 inches thick of organic matter, such as compost, manure and peat. Work this amendment well into the soil.

Dig holes with a hand trowel that are up to 8 inches deep, or three to six times deeper than the bulb's width. Set the bulb in the hole pointy side up and cover with soil.

Space the bulbs 6 inches apart in groupings with at least three in each group. Water the white hyacinth well when planted and again throughout the fall during extended dry periods.

Start watering regularly in the spring when growth begins. Supply an inch of water weekly to the white hyacinth in the absence of rainfall.

Cut the spent flower stalks from the hyacinth, but continue to water the plant weekly until the foliage dies naturally. This time allows the bulb to replenish for next season.

Apply a new layer of organic matter yearly every spring to feed the white hyacinth vital nutrients. Dig up and divide the bulbs every few years or start with new ones as the older ones decline.