About
This perennial plant features a corm and has heart-shaped, dark green foliage that displays variable silver and pale green markings. In autumn, before the leaves emerge, it produces white flowers with petals that are elegantly swept back.
About the genus
Cyclamen are perennial plants that grow from tubers and feature rounded or occasionally angular foliage, frequently displaying appealing mottled patterns. Their flowers, which are nodding and distinctive in shape, consist of five petals that are reflexed and twisted, often exhibiting dark markings near the base.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Alpine Rockery, Bulbs
- Habit
- Tufted
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- Up to 10 cm
- Spread
- 0-0.1 metre
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Rock garden
- Native to
- Peloponnese Greece
- Toxicity
- Ornamental bulbs, not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling Pets: Ornamental bulbs, not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Best grown in an unheated greenhouse in bright, filtered light. Use a container deep enough for the fleshy roots, planting the tubers just at the surface in a mix of equal parts loam, leaf mould, peat substitute and sharp sand
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, sown in darkness as soon as ripe. Can be beneficial to soak seed for 10 hours prior to sowing
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to mice and squirrels
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to cyclamen grey mould, particularly when grown under glass