Keep indoor cyclamen happy
These pretty perennials brighten dull days with brilliant colour
Whether you’ve grown them from seed or started them back into growth from last year’s tubers, the flowers of Cyclamen persicum are always welcome at this time of the year.
Garden centres often have a good selection of both the larger flowering types and the smaller varieties, so they’re readily available to buy if you haven’t grown your own.
The types we grow indoors aren’t hardy, although they can withstand cool temperatures and some of the smaller types are often used outside in containers, especially in towns or sheltered areas. Two things they don’t like are to be too warm or in a very damp atmosphere. In a hot living room, the plants quickly spoil, flopping and turning yellow. In a cool, humid greenhouse, fungal moulds can be a problem in the centre of the plant, causing the leaves and flowering stems to rot. Ideal conditions are a cool, dry, airy situation, such as a greenhouse or conservatory, with good air circulation, and when happy, they’ll grow and flower well.
I keep my plants in a greenhouse where the heater fan runs continuously to maintain good air circulation and keep it frost-free.
Watering is important but never water from overhead when the plants are in flower. Instead, carefully direct water into the top of the pot onto the compost. Alternatively, stand the pot in a saucer and fill with water for half an hour, but don’t leave it permanently standing in water. Keep an eye on the plant and when the foliage just starts to look limp, water again.
It’s also essential to regularly remove faded flowers and any leaves showing mould. The flower and leaf stalks should be plucked out from the tuber so that you
don’t leave a broken stalk that can rot.
With just a little care and attention you should be able to keep your cyclamen flowering for weeks and weeks, rewarding you handsomely for your TLC.