A popular indoor flowering plant for the winter is the Cyclamen. They are found growing wild in the Mediterranean regions of Europe over the winter months because they prefer cooler temperatures but here in our climate they make a great indoor plant but are sold mainly over the late fall and winter months for indoor use as well.

A cyclamen flower is found on top of a long stem that is above the foliage. The flower is beautiful as it  twists up and looks like butterfly wings. Flowers range in color from red,  pink, purple and white and some have fringed edges. The heart shaped leaves grow at the end of sturdy stems and foliage color is dark green with silver running through it.

A cyclamen can bloom for many weeks in the house if cared for properly. 

Buy one that has lots of unopened buds and healthy foliage. In the home, receive lots of indirect light such as a south, east or west window. Cyclamens prefer cooler temperatures so 18-20 Celsius during the day and 8-10 Celsius in the evening is perfect. Keep the plant away from drafts or heating vents and cyclamens prefer a high humidity so placing it on a humidity tray works well.

You can make a tray by using a tray larger than the pot that the plant is in and filling the  large tray with rocks. Next fill the rock filled tray with water so that the water level is even with the surface of the rocks and then place the plant filled pot on top of the tray.

This creates a higher humidity around the plant as the water from the tray slowly evaporates around the plant. To water the plant you want to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. 

It is important on how you water the plant as you do not want to get the foliage wet or the crown of the plant wet. This is done by watering the  plant from the bottom and allowing it to soak it up. Place it in the sink  or fill the tray with room temperature water and let it sit for 15 minutes  and then throw out any excess water after that time. If the plant is kept  too wet it will rot causing it to collapse and die. Fertilize every 4 weeks with 12-36 12 a good flowering plant fertilizer.

Always remove  finished flowers by tugging at the stem and breaking it off from the crown  of the plant. Yellowed leaves should also be removed this way.

Towards the end of winter you will notice that the plant has finished blooming and the leaves are yellowing and this is a sign that the plant is  going into dormancy.

Cyclamens are actually grown from a bulb or tuber and  so can be made to bloom again if given a rest and the right treatment. Slowly cut back on the water allowing it to go dry. You can either leave the bulb in the pot placing the pot on its side and putting it in a cool  place, or you can dig up the bulb, brush off the soil from the bulb and  storing it in vermiculite at 10 Celsius.

In midsummer repot the bulb in a  good quality potting soil having the top half of the bulb above the soils  surface. Place it in a warm area to promote new growth and then once there is growth place it in a cooler area to encourage blooms and treat it as you did before.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George Area:

Highway 97 North at Aberdeen

Highway 16 West across from the Bon Voyage Plaza