Cyclamen can bloom again

Last week, I did an internet search for Christmas flowers to make up trivia questions for the Huron Garden Club. To my surprise, one of the flowers I often give people at Christmas was not on the list. This is cyclamen, a beautiful houseplant that I have seen flourishing in our local nurseries. Cyclamen are native to the Mediterranean, southern Europe and western Asia. The plant grown in our nurseries is Cyclamen persicum, a tropical plant that cannot withstand frost. There are other species of cyclamen, one is C. hederifolium, that are hardy in our area, but I have never seen them for sale. Cyclamen are smaller plants than poinsettias and amarylis and make an interesting centerpiece for a winter table. Of particular interest for color is the flower. The flowers bloom above the foliage on slender stalks. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension says that "many people think they resemble butterflies in flight." The flowers consist of five petals that curve back from a short tube down in the leaves of the plant. The Cyclamen Society gives several petal shapes: flattened, fringed (with a toothed edge), and double. The colors range from red to pink to white to lavender. On a healthy plant, there will be 10 to 20 flowers growing. These flowers can last for a couple of months. The leaves of the plants are also interesting. The leaves are round or heart-shaped. Many of them are marbled: dark green with lighter green lines making an inner and outer heart design. They encircle the flowers and cover the edges of the pot. One of the reasons cyclamen are sold at Christmas is that they are a winter blooming plant. The Cyclamen Society states that visitors to Cyprus, Rhodes and Eastern Crete will find them blooming in the wild in winter or early spring. The same growth pattern will take place in your house. Cyclamen require bright indirect light and cool temperatures. Wisconsin Extension recommends an eastern window most of the year, perhaps moving to a southern window in the winter. Temperatures should be about 60 to 65 degrees. The plants also require high humidity and moist soil. Like African violets, this is a plant that can be watered from the bottom of the pot, watering on top of the crown may cause it to rot. It also can be set on humidity trays or on a tray of wet gravel. As a winter blooming plant, cyclamen will go into dormancy in the late spring. It will not be an attractive summer plant because the leaves will fade and some will fall off. During this period of dormancy, the plant should be watered sparingly. Then in the fall, you begin to water regularly again with some light fertilizer. The Cyclamen Society says that many cyclamen are killed by overwatering – so be careful to drain off any water sitting in the bottom of the pot and water again when the soil feels dry to the touch. Also be sparing with the fertilizer which could lead to foliage growth without flowers. Many people buy cyclamen as an annual plant and do not try to get them to re-bloom. Because of its two- to three-month blooming period, this is not a bad choice. Who among your friends would not like to have a fresh blooming plant for two to three months? But I know you can get it to re-bloom and it is fun to try. Just be careful with the watering and let it go dormant in summer.