Cyclamens aren’t fussy plants to keep, but they do require some basic care and maintenance. Giving your cyclamens some extra attention can promote flowering all the way through winter and well into spring.
The florists’ cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is commonly grown for indoors and while they make a stunning flower feature in any home (or a great gift), many of the smaller species Cyclamen hederifolium prefer to grow outdoors.
These bright blooms come in an array of jewelled colours, such as fuchsia, ruby red, pastel pink, white, mauve and even purple. They’re robust, long-standing, and will add a pop of colour to any garden bed or home.
If your ideal winter and spring garden includes these bright blooms, then follow our complete guide to growing them outdoors.
Fast facts: how to grow cyclamens
- Name: Cyclamen
- Climate: modern day cyclamens thrive in cool temperatures. Avoid humid conditions when keeping them indoors as this promotes disease.
- Soil: they require a well-drained soil.
- Position:choose dappled light such as on a patio or verandah. In the garden, they do well planted in the shade of other shrubs.
- Feeding: feed prior to flowering with a liquid, flower-promoting fertiliser. While in bloom, keep the root ball moist and fertilise every 2 weeks.
- Watering: water regularly during the growing season and avoid watering the leaves directly or the corm (that large tuber-like structure on the soil’s surface) as this can encourage fungal disease. Instead, keep them moist by watering in a tray and allowing the roots to take up the water.
- When to plant: autumn, with flowering from early winter into late spring.
How to plant cyclamens
Whether you’re planting in pots or directly into the ground, your cyclamen corms (fleshy root stems) should be planted with just the top peeking above the soils surface. If planting in the garden, your corms should be spaced around 15cm apart to avoid overcrowding.
When watering during establishment, you should aim your pour around the exposed stem, and not apply water directly on it.
If you’re growing this plant indoors, it may be a wise idea to leave it outside overnight. This will ensure it doesn’t get left in humid or too warm conditions inside, especially when the heater is on during winter! The cool night air will keep it happy and healthy.
Maintenance for cyclamens
Pruning: When your plant has finished flowering, remove yellow leaves and spent flowers. Take special care to remove the stem by pinching and at the same time twisting gently to ensure no damage is done to the core.
Re-potting: During summer cyclamens are dormant so place in a shady spot in the garden or indoors depending on the variety you are planting. When they start to show the signs of new growth in January they are ready to be re-potted.
Is a cyclamen an indoor or outdoor plant?
Although it is considered an outdoor plant through and through, it has become very common to see cyclamen displayed indoors. Since cyclamens like cool temperatures, if you have a warm home, they may not stay healthy when placed in your living room. If you do wish to keep it indoors, simply placing outside each night to experience the cool air may be sufficient for keeping it happy and thriving.
What do you do with cyclamen when they have finished flowering?
Cyclamens finish flowering into early spring, and the leaves will begin to turn yellow. When yellowing starts to occur, it is best to stop fertilising and water your cyclamen less regularly.
Does cyclamen come back every year?
Most cyclamen varieties are considered to be a perennial, meaning that they come back every year. This is because a cyclamen develops a tuber or corm, which a new plant will sprout from each year.
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