Gardening: Indoors & Out
The Forgiving Cyclamen

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A Mardi Gras of blossoms.

Last Spring was a bad Spring for me, one of those springs where you’re out of work, out of luck, your car dies, the cat dies, and your doctor says you can’t have chocolate anymore.  But around Easter-Passover, a friend gave me a little houseplant in a plastic pot -- a cyclamen.  It had lovely, variegated leaves and a few deep pink blossoms that clustered into an almost orchid like shape. 

Given my ability to kill even the hardiest houseplant, my immediate fondness for the plant was tinged with sympathy for its fate.  It looked so delicate.  Its flowers seemed to belong to a warmer, kinder climate than one, like ours, that sends snow for Easter. 

But as Spring actually became spring-like and then miraculously moved toward Summer, my cyclamen blossomed almost hysterically, and my luck changed.  I got a new car, went back to work, and ate a few chocolate truffles now and then.  And each day, it seemed, there were new buds, starting out white and small, getting bigger and pinker, and then bursting into flower.

A Hearty Survivor:

Then suddenly, it stopped blossoming, its leaves turned yellow and died.  Gone at last, I thought.  But something prevented me from sending this clump of dead stalk to the compost pile.  I cut back the dead leaves.  I watered it, not a lot.  My family mocked my false hope.  ...

But then in early autumn, it grew new leaves.  And in very early Winter, just when the days began to seem cruelly short, I saw the first shy bud, like a slim rosebud, but pointing down, like a swan’s beak.  The single bud opened very slowly and the flower lasted for weeks.  Then another came.  Then more.  And now, with the snow piled high outside, my cyclamen has gone wild with its own little Mardi Gras of blossoms.  It’s time to learn something about my botanical friend, I thought.

The Roots of Cyclamen:

The cyclamen is a tuberous perennial in the primrose family.  It originates in the Mediterranean and can still be seen growing wild in the crevices of rocks.  The Greeks named it, using the word kyklos for round, referring either to the round leaves or the rounded tubers themselves.  In antiquity it was known for its medicinal properties.  It contains cyclamine, which is a bitter purgative and poison and is still used in homeopathy today.  It was introduced into Europe in the 16th century and grown in the gardens of Queen Elizabeth I of England.  In the wild, cyclamen takes 2-3 years before flowering.  But starting in the 20th century, breeders were able to take the plant from seed to flower in 7-10 months.

A Suitable Climate ... and Some Care:

The "forgiving" cyclamen flowers ... despite not having been fed for a year.

It turns out these classic houseplants are perfect for Vermont.  They need cool environments (50-60 F) and lots of light, although not too much direct sunlight. Mine flourishes right at my south-facing window in its flowering period.  Life near the windows of my house is pretty cool, especially at night.  It gets more direct light than is usually recommended, but my cyclamen seems to love it.  It needs to be well watered, but shouldn’t sit in water, so empty the saucer under the flowerpot after about 15 minutes.  Let it dry out before you water it again.  Some growers say that you should pour the water right into the saucer.  The Morsels of France {see this month's Links to Farm & Garden On-Line} have many tips to help us have “green fingers” as they put it ...

 “… to give the plants enough vigour and encourage them to open their flowers fully, it is advisable to give fertiliser once a week to plants in bloom and once a fortnight in summer.” 

I have to confess, I did not feed my forgiving cyclamen for almost a year, but we can’t impose on the generosity of others indefinitely without taking care of their needs.

Most florists suggest that we stop watering the cyclamen during its dormant summer period.  Some say we should twist off all the dead stalks and remove the tubers from the soil, wrap them and store them in a cool dry place until September. 

Varieties:

The cyclamen & rosemary ... brave partners against a Vermont Winter.

There are many varieties of cyclamen.  The miniature cyclamen bloom for longer and are somewhat more heat tolerant.  Cyclamen in the wild have a light sweet fragrance, but those bred for houseplants have lost their scent.  The miniature cyclamen are sometimes fragrant.  Mine is not a miniature.  It doesn’t have a scent, but I put it next to my other brave plant, rosemary, so they can share.

Like many flowers, cyclamen have been assigned meaning.  Sincerity, shyness and timidity, “beauté jalousée” (jealous beauty?) ... all have been associated with this delicate blossom.  

My cyclamen has been there through good and bad times.  After spending almost a year with it, watching its vitality, its exuberance, and its seemingly indomitable spirit, to me cyclamen stands for hope and generosity.

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