By Linda Stephens-Urbaniak

This is the time of year when Cyclamen are at their very best. Blooming in shades of red, magenta, purple, pink and white, they are accented by beautifully veined leaves that remain attractive for several months.

With 19 species to choose from, there is a place in every garden for these distinctive members of the Primrose family.

The most popular are those that are referred to as florist’s Cyclamen, and can be found everywhere from grand florists shops to box stores.

These gracious plants are semi-tender and cannot withstand hard frosts although they do well in sheltered areas outdoors, and make them an attractive welcome planted in pots near the entry.

If kept indoors, keep them as cool as possible and be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Their botanical name reflects their origin, C. persicum, as they come from the area that was once Persia.

Some have an attractive fragrance although fragrance has been lost in most hybrids.

Beautiful as the florist’s varieties are, there are many more to be had that are hearty garden varieties.

Perhaps the easiest to find is the delightful deep pink to rose colored floral display of C. coum that blooms in mid-winter.

The unscented flowers bloom on stems that rise above the mottled leaves and look just like shooting stars. Fully hearty in this area, they will slowly increase their numbers as the intriguing seeds are scattered about if they like their location.

Another easy to find species is C. hederifolium. Until recently reclassified, it was known as C. neapolitanum and can still be found under that name. Unlike its winter blooming cousins, this species comes into its own in the fall. Blooming in pink to rose pink flowers, sometimes white, it is accented by large green silvery patterned leaves that are purple on the reverse side. It, too, is hearty in this area.

Three others are for the collector: C. cilicium (autumn, pink), C. purpurascens (summer, pale to dark purple-red) and C. repandum (spring, white through red). All are lightly fragrant. These diminutive plants are hard to find but worth the quest as they are all hearty in the Pacific Northwest. The rest of the species are so rare they are hardly ever seen.

Florist’s Cyclamen should be planted in pots with moist soil that has excellent drainage and that has incorporated coarse grit and lots of humus. They like being placed on a tray filled with stones with a little water added. The plants will benefit from the humidity. Fertilize lightly once or twice during the growing season, and let the plant dry out and go completely dormant once flowering stops. Keep soil just barely moist during dormancy.

All of these tubers need excellent drainage in fairly rich, light, moist soil, well augmented with compost or other humus. Once situated, Cyclamen dislike being moved and they can live for many years. They are best planted during dormancy with the tubers covered by no more than an inch of soil.

When dormant (usually in summer for the most common types) they will lose their leaves.

This is a good time to mulch with well-rotted dairy manure or rich compost.

Hearty species can grow and prosper under trees and will even do well under rhododendrons, where many other plants will not grow. Almost all will do well in light or dappled shade, although some can stand a bit of sun.

After several years the tubers can reach six inches or more across, so they should be well-spaced when planting. And, if you keep pigs, keep them away! The old name for these beautiful flowers was “sowbread,” as supposedly they are a gourmet treat for our porcine friends!