When to plant hyacinths in Bern: 4 October – 21 December

In Bern, hyacinth: plant from 4 October to about 21 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Wyss GartenLaden (garden centre, 1 km) and Wyss Gartencenter (garden centre, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

The date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Hyacinth in Bern: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -4 °C.

Planting	4 October – 21 December
First autumn frost	3 November
Coldest nights	January, -4 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	22 January
Daylight	11:34 on 4 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:31

The same dates in Bern hold for Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil and Crocus.

Hyacinth in Bern: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant hyacinths 10 cm deep, at least 7.5 cm apart (RHS). In the ground hyacinths are fully hardy, but in containers they can be frost tender in cold winters (RHS); here winter nights average below 0 °C, so wrap the pots or move them to a sheltered spot.

In Bern the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 29 weeks a year (our estimate from ten years of monthly weather). For this bulb Wisconsin Horticulture Extension gives a cold period of 12–15 weeks at about 2–10 °C. The winter here gives that in the ground, so the bulbs need no pre-chilling.

Flowers get smaller in the years after planting: for full spikes, replace the bulbs or add a few new ones each autumn (RHS).

If squirrels are a problem, protect the bulbs with wire mesh (RHS). Hyacinths are toxic to dogs, cats and horses: intense vomiting and diarrhoea (ASPCA).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, ASPCA.

Hyacinth in nearby cities

Around Bern, Sion is 15 days earlier and Neuchâtel 25 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Fribourg	28 km	7 October – 30 December	3 days later
Neuchâtel	40 km	29 October – end of December	25 days later
Lucerne	66 km	20 September – 29 November	14 days earlier
Sion	80 km	19 September – 19 November	15 days earlier
Mulhouse	89 km	18 October – end of December	14 days later
Zurich	95 km	17 October – end of December	13 days later

Where to buy hyacinth for planting in Bern

Planting stock goes into the ground from 4 October to about 21 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Bern OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 2 plant nurseries, 8 markets and 53 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Ferenberg, alte Käserei — market
7 km
UPD Gärtnerei — plant nursery
3 km
Baumschule Heggidorn — plant nursery
12 km
Gärtnerei Schneider — garden centre
Rossgrabenstrasse 6, 3089 Hinterfultigen · 14 km · gaertnereischneider.ch
Gärtnerei Leonotis — garden centre
Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:30–18:00; Sat 08:00–16:00 · 14 km · leonotis.ch
Wyss GartenLaden — garden centre
Mon–Fri 09:00–12:30, 13:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–17:00 · 1 km · wyssgarten.ch
Wyss Gartencenter — garden centre
Untere Zollgasse 81, 3072 Ostermundigen · 3 km
Blumen Bergmann — garden centre
Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–16:00 · 5 km · blumenbergmann.ch

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