Water hyacinths are outstanding at nutrient uptake. Their rapid growth contributes to improved water quality via the need for copious amounts of nutrients to sustain that growth. Although the flurry of requests for water hyacinths is married to the first warm days of spring, the real benefit to growing them doesn’t materialize until the warm summer months.

When making your annual hyacinth purchases, consider other cool-season perennial plants that will be active during the transition from winter to spring. A well rounded plant palette is beneficial to cover all the growing seasons. Enhance the nutrient uptake ability by planting where water flow is evident and koi can’t access the roots.

Water hyacinths can spread aggressively, especially in warmer states. Thin the plants frequently as they reproduce, never letting them cover more than 60 percent of the water’s surface. Because of their high nutrient content, composted hyacinths make great fertilizer for other garden plants, especially roses.