by Lydia Holley December 23, 2024
In East Texas, pansies are commonly planted in pots for winter color. If you are tired of pansies, or are looking for something to add to them, consider cyclamen. Cyclamen are dormant in summer and bloom in winter. They come in a variety of colors including pure white, stunning red, bubblegum pink, or pretty purple. Sometimes they have a mix of colors on their petals. Their leaves are also quite beautiful. Many are heart-shaped and/or have white markings.
The cyclamen most often sold in plant nurseries is C. persicum, also known as florist’s cyclamen. Native to the Mediterranean, florist’s cyclamen loves cool weather and moist soil. A range of 50 to 60 degree F days are perfect for them.
Cyclamen are most often grown indoors. If you plant them in pots outside, you may need to bring the containers in when it freezes as these plants are hardy only to Zone 9. However, if they are not killed by a freeze, they might bloom for months, and you may be able to keep them flowering through the middle of March.
Once they have stopped blooming, it is best to treat them as annuals. Keeping the tubers for flowering next year is possible, but you will have to duplicate their summer dormancy and keep them cool all year, something not easily done in East Texas.
In their native habitat, cyclamen grow outdoors, spreading along mountainsides, in open fields, and in rock pockets. Besides florists’ cyclamen, there are other species of cyclamen which are considered tolerant of colder weather and can be grown in the ground as a perennial. I have grown some of them with limited success. If you want to experiment with growing cyclamen in the garden, try C. cilicium, C. coum, or C. hederifolium. Be aware their flowers may not be as large or showy as florist’s cyclamen. But if you have the perfect conditions, they may bring you several years of enjoyment.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected].
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HCmastergardener.