CyberSalad: Garden Pursuits: Bulbs: Hardy Cyclamen

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Cyclamen

The large-flowered cyclamens, whose bright 2- to 4-inch blossoms beckon through florists' windows during the winter months, are well known to most gardeners, but not everyone is as familiar with the charming little wild, or species, cyclamens that may be grown in gardens throughout most of the United States. Compared to their hot-house sisters, these species could be called miniatures because they grow only 4 to 5 inches tall, bearing 3/4- to 1-inch butterflylike flowers in shades of pink or white. Cyclamens are native to the islands and shores of the Mediterranean. In this country they blossom, according to their species, in spring or fall. In Zone 9 spring-flowering species come into blossom from January through March; elsewhere they open in April and May. Fall-flowering species bloom for four to six weeks, beginning as early as August in warmer areas and lasting into October in cooler regions. Flowers of every species bloom for many weeks. Most species lose their foliage for a brief period each year, usually in midsummer. The small flowered cyclamens are best grown where they can be enjoyed close at hand, beneath the shade of a tree sheltering an intimate entrance garden or in a protected nook beside a favorite chair on a patio.
Most small-flowered cyclamens are suited for gardens in Zones 5 through 9--Zone 10 is too hot for them, and Zone 4 is generally too cold, although some gardeners grow them by covering the beds with a winter mulch such as salt hay or wood chips. They all do best in light shade in soil enriched with compost. An annual spring mulch of about 1/2 inch of compost gives enough nourishment. Plant the tubers in midsummer, spacing them 6 to 8 inches apart. Cover with about 1 inch of soil. Cyclamens can be propagated from seeds, which usually take about 18 months to reach flowering size.

Cyclamen hederifolium Pink flowers about 1 inch long, blooming late summer to Autumn.

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Site launched January 1, 2000.
Site updated September 1, 2007.