If you want the scent of spring to fill your home in the middle of winter, hyacinths can't be beat. Garden centers are often filled with potted hyacinths in the winter.
There is one drawback to growing hyacinths: As they grow, they tend to get top-heavy, which makes them lean a little bit. If you buy bulbs when they're small, there's a simple way to prevent them from leaning. Take a 16-gauge wire and plunge it down through the center of the bulb. Then, using wire cutters, cut the remaining wire away, down to the tip of the bulb.
If your flowers are already in bloom, take a floral stick (called a "hyacinth stick") or a twig such as red dogwood and insert it into the soil next to the bulb. Tie the twig to the flower with some raffia and cut off the excess. Then you'll have a pot of flowers that stand tall.
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