Cyclamen

Cyclamen plants include the popular cyclamen coum and hederifolium amongst other species, cyclamen are a hardy easy care perennial plant that grow from a surface or underground tuber or bulb depending on species (20 plus species of cyclamen have been identified)

Most cyclamen are shade lovers, a few are sun lovers, some are spring flowering cyclamen such as Cyclamen alpinum, Cyclamen coum, elegans and persicum, others are autumn flowering such as Cyclamen cilicium, colchicum, graecum and hederifolium.

Cyclamen Care

Most Cyclamen are very hardy and easy care, and although they are sold as potted plants for indoors they are actually well suited to the garden in an area of dappled shade, or good indirect light, all varieties require a well drained soil, tubers are planted on or near the surface. Fertilizer in the form of a general purpose slow release fertilizer can be applied during the growing season, however a little top dressing with well rotted compost and cow manure and occasional watering with a seaweed fertilizer is usually adequate. Cyclamen hederfolium is a favorite, but why not try something different as well?

Cyclamen Plants, species and varieties

Cyclamen graecum

Iis a bit of an oddity in that it likes to grow in a hot dry position. The corms take many years to establish but it is well worth the wait. This cyclamen is noted for the beauty of its leaf markings.

Cyclamen persicum

(Persian Cyclamen or Florists Cyclamen)
This is the most common form of cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum is the cyclamen most often sold in large nurseries and florists, sometimes called the 'florists cyclamen). Always available in pots and often grown indoors. Cyclamen persicum does not like frosts and does not like cold weather.

Cyclamen coum

Blooming from winter through to spring Cyclamen coum is a tough plant and can be left to naturalize in the garden, not afraid of cold weather this cyclamen grows well in dappled shade (a great woodland plant). Cyclamen Coum requires a well drained soil and a little mulch in summer.

Cyclamen hederifolium

(Neapolitan Cyclamen)
Another great woodland cyclamen from originally from Europe (France, Bulgaria through to Crete). Cyclamen hederifolium will grow in full sun (protect from hot afternoon sun in Australia) and enjoys a position beneath deciduous trees growing in the decomposing leaves (leaf mould or leaf litter).

Other Cyclamen species include:

Cyclamen africanum, creticum, balearicum, cilicium, cyprium, intaminatum, libanoticum, mirabile, parviflorum, pseudibericum, purpurascens, repandum, rohlfsianum, somalense and trochopteranthum.