Help with hyacinths

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum; there didn't seem to be anything specifically for house plants...

I force hyacinths every year and get them flowering from mid January; I brought this years inside in the last couple of weeks. Every year the leaves and flowers stems end up getting so tall that they have to be supported (and look really ugly because of it) or they'd flop all over the place. I've noticed the ones you buy ready-grown always seem to be much more compact - presumably this is because they've been grown under strong top lights? I leave mine on a west-facing window sill until the buds develop (this seems to fit with the advice in my Dr Hessayon book) then move them onto a table in the middle of the living room (east-ish facing, but not exactly bright at this time of year). Is there anything I can do to stop them getting so leggy or failing that, suggestions on the best way to support them without it looking so messy?

Thanks

Clare

 

They get tall and straggley if they are too warm ( and not getting enough light), once they start shooting , put them somewhere cool. Even the shop bought ones often go straggley when you bring them into the Central heating.

I've been tempted to cut them and put them in water, I find once they get too tall there's nothing much to do with them in pots, propping them up never seems to look right!

 

Thanks for that, Quercus - sounds like I need to remember to move them onto the windowsill each morning, there's no danger of them getting too warm there, and then back into the room in the evening so that I can actually see them