When to plant hyacinths in Warsaw: 18 October – 27 December

In Warsaw, hyacinth: plant from 18 October to about 27 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include plener.pl (garden centre, 7 km) and Wawer Garden (garden centre, 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 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 Warsaw: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -2.8 °C.

Planting	18 October – 27 December
First autumn frost	17 November
Coldest nights	January, -2.8 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:31 on 18 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:42

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

Hyacinth in Warsaw: 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 Warsaw the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant hyacinth earlier than Warsaw; the closest date is in Olsztyn, 1 day earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Radom	93 km	16 October – 24 December	2 days earlier
Łódź	118 km	5 October – 22 December	13 days earlier
Olsztyn	176 km	17 October – 16 December	1 day earlier
Białystok	176 km	2 October – 6 December	16 days earlier
Brest	183 km	14 October – 12 December	4 days earlier
Częstochowa	205 km	11 October – 19 December	7 days earlier

Where to buy hyacinth for planting in Warsaw

Planting stock goes into the ground from 18 October to about 27 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Warsaw OpenStreetMap lists 47 garden centres, 5 plant nurseries, 54 markets and 7 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

plener.pl — garden centre
Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00; Apr–Dec Sat, Sun 09:00–17:00 · 7 km · plener.pl
Wawer Garden — garden centre
Trakt Lubelski 125 · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00; Sat 08:00–15:00; Sun 09:00–13:00 · 10 km
Ogród Radości — garden centre
Łabędzia 1, Warszawa · 12 km
Targowisko Wolumen — market
Jana Kasprowicza 109, 01-949 Warszawa · Mon–Fri 06:00–17:00; Sat–Sun 06:00–16:00; Sat 12:00–19:00 open "giełda elektroniczna"; Sun 06:00–14:00 "giełda elektroniczna" · 8 km · wolumen.com.pl
Targowisko "Bakalarska" — market
Bakalarska 11, Warszawa · 5 km · halabakalarska.pl
Bazarek Ursus — market
Kazimierza Gierdziejewskiego 20, 02-495 Warszawa · Mon–Fri 05:00–17:30; Sat 03:00–15:30; public holidays closed · 10 km
Targowisko Miejskie — market
Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego 1, 05-270 Marki · Tue 06:00–12:00, Fri–Sat 06:00–12:00 · 12 km
Forteca Kręgliccy — market
Wed 08:00–14:00 · 3 km · kregliccy.pl

Questions