- Common name: cyclamen, sowbread
- Botanical name: Cyclamen
- Family: primrose (Primulaceae)
- Type: tuberous perennial
- Flowering time: all year
- Planting time: all year
- Height: 5 to 20cm (2 to 8in)
- Width: 8 to 15cm (3 to 6in)
- Aspect: semi-shade or shade
- Hardiness: H1C to H5
- Difficulty: easy to average
During the bleakest months, we treasure the flowers that inject colour, and cyclamen are some of the most reliable. Year after year, they produce swathes of pink and white that light up the barren garden. The name comes from the Ancient Greek for circle (kýklos) because the tubers are rounded, like tiny turnips. The Romans believed that cyclamen are lucky because the corms look like truffles, and they grew them for protection, good fortune, and wealth.
The easiest and the most widely grown are autumn-flowering Cyclamen hederifolium and winter-flowering C. coum. For cheer from the end of summer to the beginning of spring, these two stalwarts are all you need, but they are not the only forms available. There are 24 species, most of which hail from the Mediterranean basin; they include woodlanders and alpine plants, some are scented, and they bloom at different times, so it is possible to have cyclamen flowering in the garden all year.
Most cyclamen are good for bumblebees, which are drawn to the darker ‘nose’ of the lantern-shaped flowers, where the nectar is. C. coum is particularly important, as it provides food in the depths of winter when buff-tailed bumblebees are increasingly seen foraging as a result of climate change. Ants also love cyclamen, and they are your best friends if you want to create carpets of flowers. By moving the seed, but only eating its shell, ants spread the plants over a wide area, so that in time, you will have a sea of pink to brighten the grey winter days.
Which cyclamen to grow outside
Cyclamen hederifolium produces lantern-like pink flowers from late summer to late autumn. The species name stems from Hedera (ivy) because the beautifully marbled leaves, which follow the flowers, sometimes have an ivy shape. C. hederifolium var. hederifolium f. albiflorum has white blooms, and 'Ruby Glow’ is a deep shade of raspberry. Of all the common garden forms, C. hederifolium is the most tolerant of extreme conditions, including poor, dry soil and wet clay soil, but it is also a thug when mixed with other forms and should therefore be grown on its own.
Cyclamen coum is a joy from January to March, when it throws up small pink flowers. The attractive kidney-shaped leaves can be grey or green or both, and these are absent during the summer months. C. coum subsp. coum f. albissimum has white flowers; ‘Porcelain’ bears ivory flowers with purple veining; and the Pewter Group produces wonderful silvery leaves. They can be planted now, in autumn. C. coum needs damper summer conditions than C. hederifolium, although it will grow happily in gravel. It is also relatively tolerant of wet and clay soils, compared to other species.
Cyclamen repandum carries elegant carmine-pink flowers from March into May. It is a woodland species that grows well in the West Country, as it requires moisture in summer, but it can be tricky in other parts of the UK. In the wild, it lives near (but not in) water, so provide it with a very generous layer of humus in order to boost water retention as well as drainage. The shelter of trees or shrubs is also vital, as it loathes wind.
Cyclamen purpurascens can be tricky to grow if the conditions aren’t perfect, but it is well worth a go, since its pink or purple flowers produce an incredible violet scent that hangs in the air from July into September. Its preferred spot has moist, well-drained soil during spring and summer and is not exposed to the sun all day, since it does not appreciate too much warmth; plant it amongst rhododendrons or other shrubs and it might decide to like you.
How to plant cyclamen
The common garden forms hail from open deciduous woodland areas with excellent drainage, so planting under deciduous trees or shrubs is ideal. The site must be sheltered, in semi-shade or shade, with humus-rich well-drained soil. Plant the tubers of most outdoor species 2 to 3 centimetres deep, with the roots pointing down; Cyclamen repandum, however, should be 5 centimetres deep in mild areas and 15 centimetres deep in cold regions.
Cyclamen grow well in pots if they have good drainage, so ensure the container has a drainage hole, sit pieces of broken pot in the base, and mix the compost (such as John Innes No 2) with a generous amount of grit.
How to grow cyclamen
- Buy: It is best to buy cyclamen growing in pots, rather than bare tubers, and this means they can be planted at any time, if the ground isn't frozen. Cyclamen hederifolium and C. coum are widely available, but C. purpurascens and C. repandum are harder to find; specialist plant fairs and shows are a good place to seek them out. The other option is to grow them from seed. This is relatively easy if you know how, but they will take a few years to flower well.
- Shield: Most cyclamen dislike an excess of summer moisture or drought, loathe being waterlogged in winter, and don’t fare well in exposed locations, so find a well-drained site out of the wind, in semi-shade or shade. A woodland garden, the edge of a shrubbery, or a sheltered bank is perfect.
- Mulch: Enjoying humus-rich soil, cyclamen thrive in woodland gardens or benefit from an annual mulch of leafmould.
- Mark: With the exception of a few species (including C. purpurascens), cyclamen don’t hold their leaves all year, so mark where they are in the ground to avoid skewering them with a fork when they are invisible during the dormant months.
- Revive: In the right conditions, cyclamen live for a long time, especially C. hederifolium, which can form tubers the size of dinner plates that can be 50 years old or more. Cyclamen bought at the garden centre will be around 3 years old, and they will flower well until about 8 years old. After that, they can be revived by adding mycorrhizal fungi to the soil.
- Repot: Cyclamen resent being repotted, but if it’s necessary, it’s best to do it during their dormant season when they don’t have leaves.
Indoor cyclamen
Producing deliciously fragrant flowers during winter, the widely available hybrids of Cyclamen persicum are great pot plants to decorate the house at Christmas. The plants are much bigger and bushier than the outdoor cyclamen species, and the blooms can be white, purple, or red.
Although too tender to be outside, C. persicum dislikes too much warmth and sun. Therefore, sit them in a cool spot, in bright, indirect light, well away from radiators. Wait until the compost feel slightly dry before watering, and let the water drain away before sitting the plant back in its tray or outer pot.
