Potted up as dormant bulbs in autumn, kept cool and dark for a couple of months in a shed, garage or cellar, the flower spikes will eventually push up among the starburst of shiny green leaves to produce their drumsticks of fragrant flowers in shades of pink, blue, creamy yellow and white.

They scent the room more effectively than any air freshener.

But sometimes things don’t go quite according to plan and hyacinths don’t perform as they should.

For a start, if you bring them into a warm room too early they will often start to open their flowers while they are still nestling close to the bulb.

Wait until you can see the flower spike has pushed up clear of the “neck” of the bulb.

Look closely and you will notice a narrower “waist” just below the flower spike, showing it is fully developed.

Only then should you bring it indoors. Even so, you will have more lasting pleasure if you keep the hyacinths cool.

Hot, dry rooms encourage them to become tall and gangly, as will a spot too far away from the light.

For best results a cool windowsill is essential, then the flowers will not extend or lean nearly so much as they do on a table in the middle of a warm room.

But if that’s where you want them for maximum effect, then move them from a cool, bright spot to your chosen position only for a short time before moving them back to the place they enjoy most.

Now, I can’t ask you to turn the central heating off just to make them last longer, so if the stems start to lean, there is a solution which seems quite cruel.

But hyacinths are best grown afresh each year from new bulbs and the old ones put on the compost heap, so this technique is well worth it.

Cut stout wire into 12in lengths and push one down inside each flower stalk from the top.

Keep pushing, so the wire goes right down the inside of the stalk and through the bulb.

You will not prevent the bulb from supplying the flowers and leaves with food and water and the wire will become invisible once it’s fully inserted.

It’s a neat trick used by professional growers and florists, and is more unobtrusive than trying to truss up flower spikes with canes and raffia or string.

Keep the compost slightly damp and remember, the cooler and brighter you keep your hyacinths, the longer they will last and the more fragrant your rooms will be.

Don’t miss Alan’s gardening column today and Tip Of The Day every weekday in the Daily Express.

For more information on his range of gardening products visit alantitchmarsh.com.