Cyclamens: Holiday Staple, Treasure in the Garden
The cyclamen plants that grace our homes during the holiday season are hybrids derived from Cyclamen persicum, which grows in the woodlands and rocky hillsides of the south and eastern Mediterranean region. In the mid 1800s, English and Dutch breeders started to select and backcross species to obtain bigger flowers, which eventually led to the current mass production of cyclamen in different colors, double flowers, frilly petals and picotee (petals with pale edges) forms. In our area (USDA Zone 6), these hybrids, or florist’s cyclamens, do not transplant successfully into the garden after blooming.
Follow these simple rules to keep your cyclamen plant happy at home.
- Light. Cyclamens prefer a bright environment, but no direct sunlight. A northern window is optimal.
- Temperature. Cyclamens prefer a daily temperature below 70 oF and cool nights (40-50 oF). An overheated home will cause the leaves to yellow and will shorten the blooming period.
- Water. Wait until the soil surface is dry to the touch, give it a good soak and let it dry for a few minutes. Cyclamens grow from tubers, underground organs that store up energy during dormancy. Too much water causes the tuber to rot.
- Air. Keep good air circulation around your plant, to prevent diseases.
Because florist’s cyclamen are bred for seasonal enjoyment, getting your cyclamen plant to bloom again indoors the following year is a difficult and often unsuccessful process that is better left in the hands of professional growers. For repeated blooming, consider instead some of the hardy garden species such as C. hederifolium, C. coum, and C. purpurascens. Depending on the species, these cyclamens prefer a woodland or rock garden setting. With their staggered blooming they will add color to your garden almost year round.
by Cristina Malinverno, Blauvelt Master Gardener
Growing Cyclamens in the Garden in Rockland County
Unlike the florist cyclamens (C. persicum’s hybrids), bred as seasonal indoor plants, hardy cyclamens can be grown outdoors. Leaves and flowers are smaller but in optimal growing conditions they come back every year, adding color to the garden when many plants have finished blooming or have already entered dormancy.
The flowers, in different shades of pink (some varieties produce white flowers) come first, on stems 3-6 in. long. They are followed by heart or kidney-shaped leaves with deep green centers and lighter green to silvery-green edges, that remain attractive even after the blooms have faded. Hardy cyclamens are native to the coniferous and deciduous forests of Europe and to the coastal areas of the Black Sea and southern and Eastern Mediterranean. Some grow in the mountains of northern Iran.
Cyclamens tolerate different soils, as long as they are well drained. Too much moisture causes the tubers (underground organs that store energy) to rot. For this reason they thrive among tree roots, which absorb any excessive moisture, and in rock gardens. The tubers should be planted at or just below the soil level, slightly deeper in the case of the less hardy species. Woodland species like C. purpurascens benefit from a light mulching of composted leaves.
The following species are hardy in our area (USDA Zone 6) and will ensure staggered blooming from June to April:
C. hederifolium, the hardiest of the group. It grows well in full sun or partial shade, in a woodland setting or in a rock garden. It blooms from August to October.
C. purpurascens has beautiful green leaves with silvery marks. Unlike other cyclamens, it prefers a more alkaline soil; in European forests is often found overlying limestone. It does not go dormant during the summer, thus needs more shade and adequate moisture. It blooms from June to October.
C. coum, the least hardy of the group, prefers shade and a soil enriched with pine needle litter. Blooming time is December-April.
In extreme cold (-28 degF), C. hederifolium and coum leaves will turn black but will recover. C. purpurascens leaves may die back but the tuber will survive.
All hardy cyclamens naturalize well. When the seed pods open, they produce a sweet discharge that attracts ants, which disseminate the seeds, often quite far from the parent plant. Cyclamen tubers are poisonous to deer who, however, would eat the leaves.
by Cristina Malinverno, Blauvelt Master Gardener
Sources for both articles
- The Cyclamen Society - http://www.cyclamen.org
-D. Dembowsky – Presentation at the Hudson Valley Chapter of the N America Rock Garden Society, March 2010
- The Winter Garden, a publication of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 1991
- A Gardener’s World of Bulbs, a publication of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 1991
