My Favorite Christmas Plant

The Cyclamen, my favorite Christmas Plant

Here is a beautiful flower which I think is under appreciated.  With medium light and regular fertilizing you can have vibrant non-stop flowers all winter long.  The cyclamen is a large  family of plants and some of them can also be planted outside in some of the warmer frost zones.  But you are looking for a plant that looks like the one pictured here. The Cyclamen persicum is sometimes called a florist cyclamen and are definitely happier in you house.

It will bloom continuously but will be happier is it is given a 2 or 3 month dormant period.  We will talk about that later in the care section. 

First, I have not finished spouting the glory of these wondrous flowers.  They come in four colors that I know of.  Each color is effervescent in white, light pink, fuchsia and red.  I have seen them in two sizes.  One is small enough to fit into a large teacup and the other is a little bit bigger with a height of only 8 inches tall.  The sweet scented flowers are displayed above a crown of variegated leaves on erect stems, creating a beautiful bouquet of 3/4 inch flowers.  I have not seen many for sale since I moved to the south and I was pleased to see it on display recently.  If you have a chance to pick a cyclamen up, do it.

Now for the care

When you bring your cyclamen home from the store, it should be in full bloom.  To keep it that way you will want to keep it lightly watered.  Over watering may damage the tuber.  Try not to water the crown of the plant which could also cause rot.  Fertilize once a month with a formula that is higher in phosphorous.  This is the middle number in the list of numbers found on all fertilizer containers.

During the cyclamen's bloom time it will want bright, indirect sunlight.  That side table is perfect and it will love the artificial light too.  When it goes dormant, a dark cool location is preferable.  I use to keep mine next to an open basement window.

Keep the plant neat by cutting off any yellowing leaves and dead flowers.  I have found that if you pull them off, the cyclamen is one plant that will get upset.  The more you pull off; the more you will get. 

When you start to see a decline in your cyclamen, it is time to give it a rest.  Let the plant dry out and do not water for two or three months. Gently remove dead flowers and stems and replant into new potting medium.  Like most tubers, it is best to keep the very top above the soil.  When you see new sprouts, you can start watering again.   And it all begins again.