Plants
Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum · Primulaceae
The cyclamen is the quintessential winter bloomer: above heart-shaped, often silver-patterned leaves, swept-back flowers in white, pink or red dance for weeks. From September to March it is one of the best-selling pot plants in our shop. Its only real demand is a cool spot — in an overheated living room it tires quickly, on a cool windowsill it flowers for months.
- Care level
- Medium
- Botanical
- Cyclamen persicum
The range of cultivars runs from large-flowered classics through fragrant mini cyclamen to fringed and flamed breeding lines. The minis are often tougher and more free-flowering than the large-flowered types and even stand outdoors in autumn boxes and bowls until harder frost arrives.
Location makes or breaks it: ideal is 12 to 18 degrees at a bright window without direct sun. The warmer the room, the shorter the bloom — right above a radiator the stems go soft and the buds shrivel. A cool bedroom, hallway or stairwell is the best spot in the house.
Always water from below via the saucer, because water on the tuber, which sits half proud of the soil, quickly leads to rot. Pour off what remains after about twenty minutes. The root ball should be evenly, lightly moist, never soaking wet.
Spent flowers and yellow leaves are not cut but twisted out with a firm tug, stem and all, right at the tuber. Stem stubs left behind rot and infect healthy tissue — this one move is half the art of cyclamen care.
Important for households with pets and small children: the tuber especially contains cyclamine, a saponin that causes vomiting and diarrhoea when eaten; larger amounts are seriously dangerous for dogs and cats. Keep the plant out of reach and dispose of any dug-up tubers immediately.
After flowering, a cyclamen can be carried over the summer: water more sparingly from May, keep the plant cool and semi-shaded, and resume normal care from August — many tubers then shoot again in autumn and flower year after year.
Is Cyclamen toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Toxic
- Cats
- Toxic
- Dogs
- Toxic
All parts contain the saponin cyclamine, by far the most in the tuber. Toxic to cats, dogs and children — larger amounts of tuber can cause severe poisoning in animals. Keep out of reach.
Typical symptoms: After ingestion: drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain; after larger amounts of tuber, seizures and heart rhythm disturbances are possible — seek veterinary or medical help immediately.
In an emergency:call the German poison control centre in Bonn on +49 228 19240 (24/7) — for pets, contact an emergency vet directly. This information does not replace medical or veterinary advice.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Keep it cool: 12–18 °C is ideal; warm radiator air drastically shortens flowering.
- 02Bright but without direct sun — a north or east window works well.
- 03Always water from below; the tuber must stay dry. Pour off leftover water after 20 minutes.
- 04Twist out spent flowers and yellow leaves, stem and all, with a tug at the tuber; never cut them.
- 05Feed lightly every two weeks while in bloom.
- 06For a second season, carry the plant over summer cool and sparsely watered.
Frequently asked
- Why is my cyclamen drooping?
- Either too warm or watered wrongly. Above 20 degrees with radiator air the stems go soft; the plant reacts the same way to a bone-dry or permanently wet root ball. Move it somewhere cooler and water from below — the stems often stand back up overnight.
- Is cyclamen toxic to cats and dogs?
- Yes. All parts contain the saponin cyclamine, with a high concentration in the tuber. Nibbling leaves usually causes drooling and vomiting; if an animal eats part of the tuber, severe symptoms up to heart rhythm disturbances can follow. Keep out of reach in pet households.
- How long does a cyclamen flower?
- In a cool spot a well-budded cyclamen flowers for eight weeks and more, often with fresh buds into spring. The keys are temperatures below 18 degrees, watering from below and consistently twisting out spent stems.
- Can cyclamen stand outdoors?
- Mini cyclamen, yes: in autumn they decorate boxes and bowls and tolerate light frost down to about minus three degrees. Large-flowered indoor types are more sensitive and belong in a cool room once frost arrives. Neither is fully hardy like garden cyclamen species.