Florist’s cyclamen

Cyclamen persicum

In other languages: Cyclaam (Nederlands) · Cyclamen de Perse (Français)

The florist’s cyclamen is a tuberous plant from the eastern Mediterranean, where it flowers in the cool, wet winter and rests during the dry summer. Here it is a much-loved houseplant that flowers from October to March, with graceful blooms in white, pink, salmon, red or purple. The petals are swept back, so the flowers seem to hover like butterflies above the beautifully marbled leaves. There are large forms and mini cyclamen with smaller flowers, sometimes with frilled or two-tone petals. Above all it needs a cool room: in a warm living room it only flowers briefly.

Caution: The tuber is poisonous to people and pets. Keep it out of reach of children, cats and dogs, especially when repotting.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Light
Partial shade
no harsh midday sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Potting soil
Hardiness
Houseplant
min. 5 °C
Size
0.3 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
October–March

Key facts
Height	0.3 m
Poisonous to people and pets	Yes, take care with children and pets
Flowering	October–March

Identify

Florist’s cyclamen: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Compact rosette 20–30 cm tall and wide, from a flattened, round tuber.
Leaves: Heart-shaped, dark green marbled with silvery grey, on long stalks.
Flowers: On long stems above the leaves, with five swept-back petals, from October to March.
Colour: White, pink, salmon, red, purple or bicoloured, sometimes with frilled edges.
Tuber: Flat and round, with the growing points on top. It should sit half above the compost. Poisonous.

Flowering: October–March · Plants: August–September

In your garden

Why grow it?

Flowers in the darkest months, from October to March, when there are few other flowers.
A wide choice of colours, from white to deep red, and beautifully marbled leaves.
Ideal for a cool bedroom, hall or north- or east-facing windowsill.
With a little care the same tuber lasts for years and flowers again every winter.
Compact: fits on any windowsill.

Florist’s cyclamen: where does it grow best?

Bright, but out of direct midday sun: an east- or north-facing window is ideal.
Cool, at 12–16 °C, away from radiators and draughts.
Open, humus-rich potting compost that holds moisture but drains well.
Evenly moist while flowering, never wet, and the tuber itself always dry.

Light: Bright, out of direct sun
Potting soil: Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost
Acidity: Acid or neutral
Watering: Moderately
Size: 0.3 m tall, 0.3 m wide
Temperature: Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

Indoor azalea: Another winter bloomer that also likes a cool room.
Primrose: Colourful spring flowers for the same cool windowsill.
Hyacinth: Fragrant bulbs in a glass or a pot, in the same cool room.
Ivy: A green trailing plant as a calm backdrop for the flowers.

Maintenance

Florist’s cyclamen: when and how to plant it?

Plant in August–September.

Repot an old tuber in August–September, when it starts making new leaves after its summer rest.
Choose a pot only 2–3 cm wider than the tuber, with a drainage hole.
Fill with fresh, open potting compost, if you like mixed with a little sand.
Set the tuber so that its top half sits above the compost.
Water from below and stand the pot in a cool, bright spot.

Care

Water: Water from below: stand the pot in a saucer of water for a quarter of an hour, then tip away the excess so the tuber stays dry.
Feeding: While it flowers, houseplant fertiliser at half strength every two weeks.
Faded flowers: Twist out faded flowers and yellow leaves, stalk and all, with a sharp tug. Cut stumps tend to rot.
Temperature: Keep it cool, at 12–16 °C. Moving it to a cooler room at night makes it flower for longer.
Summer rest: After flowering, gradually water less, let the leaves die back and stand the pot in a cool, shady place.

Tip: At night, move it to a cool spot at around 12 °C, such as an unheated bedroom: it will flower for weeks longer. Always water from below, never onto the tuber.

Florist’s cyclamen: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. While it flowers, regularly remove faded flowers and yellow leaves.

How:

Grip the stalk of a faded flower or yellow leaf close to the tuber and twist it out with a sharp tug.
Do not cut: the stumps left behind rot and attract grey mould.
After flowering, let the leaves die back naturally and only remove them once they have completely withered.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: In August–September indoors, in moist seed compost, just covered, in the dark at about 18 °C. Germination takes a few weeks; the first flowers only come after more than a year.
Saving seed: Leave a few flowers: the stalk bends down and forms a round seed capsule. Seed from the large houseplant forms often gives different colours from the parent. The tuber itself cannot be divided.

Florist’s cyclamen: how does it get through the winter?

It flowers in winter: keep it cool, bright and away from radiators.
Not hardy: never below 5 °C, so do not leave it outdoors in frost.
In a warm room the leaves turn yellow and flowering soon stops. If you can, move it to a cooler room at night.
In summer the tuber rests; from August–September it starts growing again.

Diseases and pests

Yellowing leaves: In a room that is too warm or with too much water, the leaves turn yellow and flowering stops. Move it somewhere cooler and let the compost dry out a little between waterings.
Grey mould: Grey fuzz on the tuber, leaf stalks or flowers, especially with a wet tuber and stumps left behind. Water from below, twist stalks out completely and remove affected parts.
Mites: Fine webbing, yellow speckles or distorted, curled young leaves, in dry, warm air. Move it somewhere cooler and rinse the leaves.
Vine weevil: The white larvae eat the tuber, and the plant suddenly collapses. Check the tuber when repotting and use nematodes if needed.

Through the year

January: Flowering. Keep cool and water from below.
February: Flowering. Twist out faded flowers.
March: Last flowers. Gradually water less.
April: The leaves die back. Little water.
May: Summer rest in a cool, shady place.
June: Resting. Keep the compost almost dry.
August: Repot in fresh compost. Start watering again. Sow seed.
September: New leaves. Repot. Stand in a cool, bright place.
October: First flowers. Feed every two weeks.
November: Flowering. Keep away from radiators.
December: Flowering. Twist out faded flowers.

Use

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of florist’s cyclamen are poisonous, especially the tuber: it contains saponins, which cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, in children as well as in cats and dogs. If a cat or dog eats a larger piece of tuber, an irregular heartbeat and seizures can follow: call your vet at once. The tuber sits half above the compost, so a cat or dog that digs in the pot or chews the plant can easily reach it, and on a windowsill the plant is often at a child’s height. Keep the pot out of reach of small children and pets, even while the tuber rests dry after flowering, and wash your hands after repotting. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

You and this species

Did you know?

The wild species has small, scented flowers. The large houseplant forms are the result of long breeding, during which the scent was largely lost.
Despite the name persicum, the wild cyclamen does not grow in Persia, but in places such as Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel.
In the wild the tuber retreats during the hot, dry summer and flowers in the cool, wet winter. That is why it likes coolness indoors as well.

Garden plants · All species