Not a stupid question at all, just something you haven't had occasion to
learn yet.

"Forced" means that the bulb was brought into bloom by artificial means--in
the case of the hyacinth, it was most likely chilled for a period of time,
then grown in a greenhouse.

When it is done blooming, you should remove the stalk that the flowers were
on. You can then plant it outside (assuming you live where people commonly
plant hyacinths outdoors). Let the foliage turn brown and die back
naturally; this is the plant's way of storing energy for next year's bloom.

Next spring it should bloom at the normal time for hyacinths in your area.
Sometimes a bulb that has been forced takes a year to recover before
blooming again, and will just put out foliage, but in my experience
hyacinths are pretty good about flowering. You may notice that the florets
on the stalk look "looser" than the tightly packed blossoms of a forced
bulb, but I have come to prefer them that way.

Enjoy!

Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

"Brigitte J." wrote in message
...
Hi group, I'm kinda new to this gardening thing and have what may be a
stupid question. I purchased a pot with several Hyacinths growing in it.
All but one of them is in full bloom. On the side of the pot it indicates
that they have been indoor forced. What does this mean? Does this mean
that I should keep them indoors? Can I plant them outdoors? It looks
like
it's going to outgrow the pot soon. Will these bulbs come back to bloom
again next year? Any advice or help you can give me on these beautiful
and
fragrant plants would be greatly appreciated.

Brigitte