Cyclamen

Cyclamen are one of our favorite holiday plants! The bright flowers last a long time (up to a month!) and come in a variety of pinks, reds, whites, and bi-color combinations. The elegant flowers grow on stalks above delicately patterned leaves and make a wonderful accent to poinsettias, ferns, ivies, and other holiday houseplants. Six-Inch Pots are $12.99 and Four-Inch Pots are $6.99.

Caring for a cyclamen begins with keeping it in the correct conditions for it to thrive. Place it in bright, indirect light for at least six hours a day. They prefer cooler temperatures (between 50 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit) and will not tolerate overwatering. In a typical home a cyclamen will want a thorough watering about once a week, sometimes a week and a half. If the leaves and flowers start to droop, it's time to water it! Watering from the bottom of the pot decreases the likelihood of disease. Simply sit the pot in a saucer of water for about twenty minutes. Do not let it sit in water continuously as this will lead to rot.

When each flower passes, it will curl in and begin to form a seed pod. Removing these at the base of the stalk will encourage more blooms. Once the bloom cycle has finished and the cyclamen is just leaves, it will start to go dormant. Many people assume that they have killed it at this point and throw it away. But don't give up on it! If you let the leaves die off naturally, removing them as they do so, and place the plant in a dark, cooler spot (about 50-55 degrees) for about two months, it has the potential to bloom again. Once you see new leaves growing, put it back in a bright location and resume your usual care. If you care for it through its dormancy your cyclamen can last many years!