The common name for Cyclamen is the florist’s plant. Cyclamen persicum is the most common species of the Cyclamen plant and is the most widely cultivated too. The plant is native to the Mediterranean, Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. It is grown as a houseplant for many years and is a very common flower that has a very pleasing smell. It has a lot of species with different characteristics. Having been grown in Britain for centuries, this genus is listed in the first catalog of Oxford Botanic Garden in 1648.
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Features of Cyclamen Plants
This plant is a perennial that has heart-shaped leaves. It has long and pointed flower buds, with flowers in pale pink, white, or red colors. The foliage is bright green in color with hues of silver on the top sides. These are popular plants for the midwinter season. Many species of this plant are hardy in USDA hardiness zones of 7 and above. This plant reaches a height of approximately 8 inches. It requires minimal care and can bloom for weeks at a stretch. To grow healthy enough, this plant needs full sun exposure in the midwinter season and part sun in the summer. The soil should be well-drained and slightly acidic. These are beautiful plants but care should be taken about the fact that these plants are kept away from animals like dogs and cats since they can cause digestive issues for them.
Growing Cyclamen Plants
In order to keep the Cyclamen plant healthy and happy, the plant needs to be kept as close to its natural environment as possible. Cool temperatures are more suited to the growth of these plants, preferably lower than 40 degrees F. These plants need full sun to grow and it is ideal that they are kept close to bright south or a west-facing window in order to get the maximum sunlight. They also need regular watering to grow healthy.
The soil should be made to get slightly dry between the watering periods, but only slightly, otherwise the plant can wilt. If the pot starts looking the slightest bit of dry, then it needs to be watered thoroughly and then drained. No water should be left in the saucer, otherwise, the soil can get soggy and that is not an ideal growing condition for the plant. The plant also needs regular fertilizing. Any regular houseplant fertilizer can be used. In order to keep the plant looking healthy, the flowers should be removed by cutting the stems near the base of the plant. Withered green leaves should also be removed.
Types of Cyclamen
Cyclamen alpinum
This variety was formerly known as C. trochopteranthum. It belongs to the Primulaceae family. This is a hardy plant and is characterized by pink flowers or carmine purple flowers. These have a pleasant primrose scent. The leaves of this cyclamen species are rounded or angular. It grows up to a height of 8 cm and is 1.5 cm in width. White and pink propellers like flowers appear in the blooming season. It is hardy in USDA zone 5. The foliage is a bright green color that is very eye-catching. Partial shade is ideal for the growth of this variety. Well-drained soil that is acidic, alkaline or neutral can ensure healthy growth of this plant. It takes approximately 2 to 5 years for this plant to grow to its maximum height. It is ideal to grow this plant in a cool glasshouse. The tops of the tubers should be planted at the surface in order to get the maximum filtered light and a moderate amount of humidity. A moderate amount of water should be provided to this plant when it is in its growth stage. A low nitrogen liquid fertilizer should be applied once every two months approximately so that this plant can grow to become healthy. This plant is best suited to patios and containers. In order for healthy growth, no pruning is required. Grey molds can be a problem that persists in these species, alongside attracting vine weevil, cyclamen mite, and glasshouse red spider mite.
Cyclamen Coum
This species is easy to grow and it is hardy in USDA zone 6. Other common names for this species are eastern cyclamen or round-leaved cyclamen. It belongs to the primrose family. The leaves are deep green in color and are round and heart-shaped. They have silver and grey tones to them. The flowers are white, pink or magenta in color and they poke through the dense foliage. The flowers have twisted petals and are a darker color at the base.
This plant can tolerate dry conditions very well. It grows to a height of 10 cm on an average and 2 cm in width. The deciduous is hardy in USDA zone 5 and needs partial shade to grow to become healthy. Well-drained soil that is acidic, alkaline or neutral ensures healthy growth. It can take around 2 to 5 years on an average for this plant to grow to its ultimate height. Mice and squirrels are attracted to this plant due to its colorful flowers. If this plant is outdoors, then it mostly stays safe from diseases. This hardy perennial is unscented and flowers in its blooming season which is January and February.
This plant is mostly found in Turkey, northern Iran, and the Caucasus. Nurserymen usually refer to this plant as C. Coum, for simplicity purposes. Tubers for this variety should be planted about 1 inch deep below the soil surface. Fertilization is not generally needed for this plant to grow healthy. There are many cultivars of this variety in the ‘Pewter Leaf’ group. They include Album, Maurice Dryden, Something Magic, Rubrum, Blush and Silver Leaf.
Cyclamen Creticum
This species is characterized by white flowers that can sometimes also come in shades of pink. These flowers have a lily scent that is very pleasing. The foliage appears in the winter season. It is heart-shaped or triangular and has grayish-green margins. The leaves are approximately 4 to 12 cm long and 3.5 to 12 cm wide. The flowering season for this species is February to May. It grows best in locations that are slightly wet. This plant is endemic to Crete and Karpathos and is found in a lot of different habitats including old walls to grasslands and river banks.
It is also known by the name Cretan Sowbread. The USDA hardiness zone for this plant is 8. This variety is different from the rest in terms of its growing pace. It takes a very long time to gain size. Well-drained soil with compost can ensure healthy growth of this plant. The tubers need to be watered regularly. It is advisable to use granular fertilizer for this plant in the winter when the leaves start appearing. These plants can bear overnight frost but not elongated periods of freezing as that can damage the leaves.
Cyclamen Libanoticum
This species is known to grow to a height of 5 to 10 cm typically. Light shade or half shade is ideal for the healthy growth of this plant. It is hardy in USDA zone 8. It is a very rare species whose flower color is a soft pink. This plant was thought to have become extinct but was later found in Lebanon. The leaves of this species appear in early fall and the flowers appear in March, which is the blooming season. The common name for this hardy perennial is Wild Cyclamen. Before this is planted, the soil should be cultivated at a depth of 10 to 15 cm. Fertile soil with humus is ideal for the growth of this plant. This dwarf plant does not attract any pollinators and looks best in borders. The seeds for this variety can be sown at any time. The ideal temperature for the germination is 10 to 15 degrees centigrade. The germination period can take time ranging from around 1 to 12 months.
Cyclamen Persicum
This species is from the Primulaceae family. It is the most popular of all the species of the Cyclamen Spurge plant. It is native to Algeria, Cyprus, and Greece and is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11. It grows to a height of 0.5 to 0.75 feet and spreads the same too. The flower colors are pink, red, violet or white. Part shade is ideal for the healthy growth of this plant. This plant requires relatively low maintenance owing to the low amount of water that it needs to thrive and grow.
The foliage is very colorful. Adding to that, the plant is resistant to deer and grows best in rich and well-drained soil with a pH value below 7. The bloom season for this species in winter. In the late summer season, these plants are dormant and do not need to be watered much. Mites tend to become a problem with this plant. It can be put to best use in indoor pots and containers. This plant can be harmful to dogs and cats. Liquid fertilizer should be used on this plant once every two weeks to ensure that this plant grows well. In dry regions, the flowers of this plant can have a short life span.
Cyclamen Pseudibericum
This species grows up to a height of 5 to 10 cm on an average. It is perfect for naturalizing. Full sun or partial shade is ideal for the growth of this plant. The flowers of this species are carmine-pink in color and the blooming season is February to March. The leaves are dark green with a slight touch of grey and white towards the center. It is a scented species and is known to have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Well-drained rich soil is best for this plant to grow. Once this species is planted, it should be left to grow without any disturbance. This is a semi-hardy plant and can be put to best use in rock gardens and as a container plant. Another name for this species is false Iberian cyclamen. This tuberous perennial should be kept sheltered mostly in order for it to grow at the optimum speed to become a healthy plant. It can take approximately 2 to 5 years for this plant to grow to its maximum height.
Cyclamen Repandum
The literal meaning of ‘repandum’ is ‘bent back’ in Latin. A common name for this species is Wavy Cyclamen. This plant can mostly be found in Southern France and Algeria. It is a dwarf perennial. The leaves of this species are heart-shaped and are dotted with grey color. The flowers are a showy fragrant pink and are 2 cm in length. They bloom in early spring, which is the blooming season of this species.
This plant can self-seed with ease and can grow to a height of 2 cm. this plant cannot grow in a dry and sunny climate. Shade or semi-shaded conditions are ideal for the growth of this species. This plant is hardy in USDA zone 4. It takes 2 to 5 years on an average for this plant to grow to its maximum height. Well-drained soil that is acidic, alkaline or neutral id ideal for the growth of this species. This plant can best be put to use in rock gardens. This is a low maintenance plant that does not need a lot of cultivation to keep it looking fresh and evergreen. Very little fertilizer is needed to grow this plant. The fertilizer is used should be of high quality.
Cyclamen Hederifolium
Other common names for this plant include ivy-leaved cyclamen and Neapolitan cyclamen. These are tuberous perennials that have rounded leaves. The flowers have twisted petals. The maximum height of this plant is approximately 12 cm. The flowers are white in color and sometimes can even be pink blooms. It is hardy in USDA zone 5. Partial shade is ideal for the growth of this plant. It needs shelter in order to be protected from direct sunlight. The soil should be well-drained. It can either be acidic, alkaline or neutral. It takes around 5 to 10 years time for this plant to grow to its maximum height.
This plant does not require any pruning to keep it healthy. Mice and squirrels can sometimes prove to be a problem for this plant. If this plant is kept outdoors, then diseases are not generally a problem. The foliage is dark green with delicate silver lines in the middle. Autumn is the blooming season for this plant. To grow this plant, tubers should be planted with the smooth side down. They should be spaced 6 to 8 inches apart in order for them to have enough space to grow healthy. This plant is deer resistant and can be put to best use in borders, ground cover or rock gardens.
Cyclamen spurge flowers are showy, fragrant beautiful flowers that can lift up the look of any garden due to their colorful nature. They are not very tough to grow either and can be put to several different uses.
