How long do cyclamen plants last? All you need to know.
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The fall-to-spring blooms of cyclamen can add some winter color to your flower beds.
It is a great plant for naturalizing in a shady border, under trees, or on banks.
There are intricate patterns on the leaves of this plant.
Many people don't have much luck looking after cyclamen plants because they end up with a non-hardy variety that dies off on them.
There are both hardy and non-hardy versions of the plant.If left outside in winter, the non-hardy versions will die off quickly, because they can't tolerate being frozen for long.
There are many types of cyclamen available for sale in nurseries and garden centers, and if you buy one that is hardy and supposed to be planted outdoors, it should reproduce and last for years.
It will last for years given the right care.
If tender varieties are exposed to frost, they won't last long.
The non-hardy ones are usually for sale around November.
It is not uncommon for sellers to not tell you that they are selling a non-hardy variety of cyclamen.
It is pale pink and blooms in autumn or spring.
It is recommended that you choose a shaded spot in your garden.
The tubers should be planted in the ground, about 5 cm deep, with shoots facing up and roots facing down.
The plants will bloom every Autumn if you plant them in early autumn.
If it is a very dry area where you are planting them, you may want to give them a little water during their first Autumn, until the roots become established.
If you buy a potted cyclamen at the store and take it home, the first thing to do is to check the container for any plastic or foil wrapping that may be blocking the drainage holes.
This can cause waterlogging which will rot the roots of your plant before you have a chance to care for it.
Keep your cyclamen in a cool room with lots of bright indirect sunlight and away from cold drafts and air-conditioning.
Make sure it has good drainage and only water it.
When the soil becomes bone-dry, move your cyclamen to a dark, cool room and only water it a little.
Once October comes around, start watering the plant again, and then move it to a room that gets lots of bright, indirect sunlight and it will bloom all winter.
The process should be repeated at the beginning of next summer.
cyclamen are native to the Mediterranean region and are active in the fall and winter.
The tubers start out small as the plants grow from seed, but they get bigger with age.
The leaves appear in the fall or winter.
The leaves grow from 2 to 4 inches above the soil until they die off.
The flower stalks grow directly from the tuber and can be up to 5 inches tall.
The auricle gives bees a foothold as they hang upside-down to drink and pollinate the flowers.
Once the flowers are pollinated and set seed, the flower stalks are very similar to a spring, coiling around and around.
They have adapted to a summer dormancy period because they are native to the Mediterranean climate, where the summers are hot and dry and the winters are cold and wet.
In this way, they can survive a long period without much water and grow quickly in the fall with the return of the rain.
If the soil doesn't have good drainage, the tubers can rot under summer irrigation.
While some cyclamen plants are happy with a small amount of direct sun, most prefer to grow under trees and shrubs or in rocky crevices where they can compete with tree roots for the water they need.
They will not tolerate a windy environment in keeping with their adaptation to a sheltered existence.
If you overwater them or leave them to sit in standing water their leaves will turn yellow and die if you let them get too dry.
Test the top inch of soil with your finger and only water your cyclamen when the soil has dried out a bit.
Cyclamen prefer well-drained soil that is slightly alkaline, but can tolerate a wide range of soil types.
Composted leaves or bark chips can be used to mulch your plants to keep the soil temperature even and to protect the tubers from hard frosts.
Cyclamen plants are easy to look after, especially if you plant them out in the garden where you can forget about them until you see their blooms every year.
People get caught out when they think it is okay to plant out in the garden in a non-hardy variety.