Three cultivars of Hyacinthus orientalis L. were forced in pots under artificial light using fluorescent lamps which emitted white, blue, green, yellow and red light. Daily light dose was 0.54 mol·m^-2 (25 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 × 6 h). Significant effect of light colour on postharvest longevity and quality of plants was observed. The post-harvest longevity of hyacinths depends, among others, on the length of the flowering period and it is the longest after the application of white and blue light colour. Red light decreased flower life and deteriorated the ornamental value. The rigidity of inflorescence shoots depended on the cultivar, but in all flowers, it was significantly lower than it is recommended in market turnover for flowering plants grown in pots. It also refers to leaves, whose elongation is the greatest under lamps with red colour. In the ‘Fondant’ cultivar, elongation caused a maximal flabbiness of inflorescence shoots and leaves.

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