A flowering plant brings a welcome splash of colors and usually it is a sign that spring is not too far off. One of the plants that are often for sale throughout the fall and winter as a houseplant are the Cyclamen. It is a small but diverse genus of plants, having 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, and is valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. Cyclamen Persicum or as commonly known as the Florist's Cyclamen, has a sweet scented small flowers that are produced on long stems, held upright above the foliage and is a tuberous perennial with a heart shaped leaves and the flowers in shades of pink,red, or white.They can either be grown indoors or can be grown outside but it does not have any assurance that it will survive when the temperature goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cyclamen persicum does best planted in a soil-based potting mix, with the top of the tuber just slightly above the soil line. Flowering time may be any month of the year depending on the species, as for the Cyclamen persicum, it blooms best during the winter. Flowers have 5 petals, bent outwards or up, sometimes twisted and connected at the base into a cup and 5 sepals behind the cup. Ever since, I have heard about the Cyclamen, I always have thought of having it as an ornament plant at home. It was not too long a go, when we have ordered a pink cyclamen in a cambridge blue container by Givingplants, an online shop for gifts that grow. I have searched online on how to take care of this type of plant since it goes dormant fro 2-3 months during summer.
I have learned that during the summer. dormant cyclamen can be kept indoors in a cool, dark spot with good air circulation or outdoors, in a shady pot. Just be sure to turn the pot on its side, if you put the cyclamen outdoors to keep the rain out because the soil can't get too wet during dormancy because the tuber will rot. There are many wonderful cyclamen hybrids available ans since they stay in bloom for a long period, you can choose your plant while the blossoms are open and know exactly what you are getting. More houseplant choices are available online at www.givingplants.com, you can visit their website for details of shipment and prices of the plants.