When to plant hyacinths in St. Louis: 5 October – end of December

In St. Louis, hyacinth: plant from 5 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Becker's Farm & Industrial Supplies (farm supply, 5 km) and U City Farmers Market (farm shop, 10 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 average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Hyacinth in St. Louis: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -3.6 °C.

Planting	5 October – end of December
First autumn frost	4 November
Coldest nights	January, -3.6 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	11:39 on 5 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	9:28

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

Hyacinth in St. Louis: 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 St. Louis the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 19 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 St. Louis, Davenport is 5 days earlier and Evansville 6 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Springfield	139 km	2 October – 22 December	3 days earlier
Jefferson City	172 km	5 October – end of December	same day
Peoria	235 km	1 October – 9 December	4 days earlier
Evansville	242 km	11 October – end of December	6 days later
Davenport	328 km	30 September – 30 November	5 days earlier
Indianapolis	370 km	7 October – 23 December	2 days later

Where to buy hyacinth for planting in St. Louis

Planting stock goes into the ground from 5 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of St. Louis OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 4 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Soulard Market — market
Carroll Street 730, 63104 Saint Louis · Sun–Tue closed; Wed–Tue 08:00–17:00; Fri 07:00–17:00; Sat 07:00–17:30 · 2 km · stlouis-mo.gov
Urzi's Italian Market — market
Southwest Avenue 5430, 63139 Saint Louis · Mon–Fri 11:00–16:00; Sat 10:00–16:00 · 7 km · dweva.com
Yours Market — market
North Broadway 8005, 63147 Saint Louis · 9 km
The Station at Thurman — market
Thurman Avenue 2232, 63110 Saint Louis · 5 km
Becker's Farm & Industrial Supplies — farm supply
North 1st Street 900, 62201 East St. Louis · 5 km
U City Farmers Market — farm shop
Delmar Boulevard 6655, 63130 · Apr–Nov Sat 08:30–12:30; Sat 08:30–12:30; Wed 16:00–19:00 · 10 km · midwestfarmersmarkets.org
Roger's Produce — farm shop
East Lockwood Avenue 625, 63119 Webster Groves · Mon–Sat 09:00–19:00; Sun 09:00–18:00 · 13 km
Garden Oasis — garden centre
10 km

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