Cyclamen

Description

Cyclamen persicum, whose round, flattened tuber resembles a small onion, has given rise to many varieties of large-flowered cyclamen (about three or four centimetres) which are used as winter-flowering houseplants. The heart-shaped leaves, green mottled with silver, are elegant, as are the solitary flowers that open at the top of long, straight stems; these may be cyclamen in colour, but also various shades of red and pink, or white.

Cultivation

To enjoy the splendid flowering of cyclamens for a long time, it is best to place the pots outside on the windowsills, bringing them in at night if frost is feared; the plants want very good light and little sun, and cannot tolerate the dry heat of our homes. To keep cyclamens in good condition, pour a little water regularly into the saucer (avoiding standing water) and do not water the pots from above: this prevents rot in the leaves and the tuber. Cyclamens like a cool soil that is only slightly moist. At the end of flowering (and outdoors flowering can go on for a long time) watering should be suspended for about a month; the soil should then be replaced with a fresh, rich substrate, and regular watering resumed, with feeding about once a month using a fertiliser rich in potassium. In summer the pots will do well outdoors, strictly in the shade, in a setting with plenty of ambient humidity.

Propagation

Cyclamens are propagated by seed, and this cannot be done indoors.