Cyclamen care guide
Cyclamen are a genus of plants containing 20 species, which are part of the Primrose family. In the wild, their distribution is centred throughout the Mediterranean, being native to parts of Europe, Western Asia and parts of North Africa. Their flowers are distinctively supported on long fleshy stems and may be pink, brilliant red, white, or any shades in between.
Looking after your Cyclamen
Cyclamen do not like warmth. If kept indoors they should be kept in a well lit room, free from heating. Alternatively, they can be kept outside on a bright balcony or verandah protected from the sun.
If kept indoors, your cyclamen may prefer to be moved into a cooler spot outside each evening - the cool nights will refresh the plant’s leaves and flowers, as your Nan may have said back in the day, put it out with the cat at night.
Do not water your cyclamen from the top of the pot. Wetting of the corm, flowers and leaf stems encourages fungal rot and will eventually kill the plant. Only water your cyclamen when the soil feels dry and make sure after watering that the plant is not sitting in a saucer of water.
Remove spent flowers down to the tuber to avoid rotting. Never cut the spent flowers, rather pull them off with a twisting motion.
You should feed your cyclamen with a liquid fertiliser regularly to ensure maximum flowering.
When flowering finishes and the leaves have dried off, keep the corms dry - do not water during the Summer dormancy.
At the end of the cyclamen’s season, the pot should be moved to a shaded spot outdoors. You may like to turn the pots on their side and place them under a shrub or tree. Spray around the base of this plant with water now and again.
