Both Hardy And Tender Cyclamens Work For Container Growing – Just Follow These Tips
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From TREVOR WILTSHIRE
Trevor Wiltshire is the Registrar of The Cyclamen Society. He has previously worked at the RHS Wisley site, as the Alpine Garden Society Cornwall Group Secretary and as former Executive Committee Member of Cornwall Garden Society.
IN THIS GUIDE
Cyclamen of a range of different types can be grown in many different ways.
There are both hardy types suited to growing outdoors, and more tender types which are grown as houseplants over the winter months.
Can You Grow Cyclamen In Pots?
Both hardy and tender cyclamens are great for container growing.
While hardy types are commonly grown in pots which remain outdoors year-round, tender types are typically grown in pots indoors between September-April, before being placed in a cool spot, often outdoors, for their summer dormancy period.
Choosing A Container
The important thing to remember when choosing a container for any type of cyclamen is that these are plants which like free-draining conditions.
Make sure that you choose a pot with drainage at the base and one which will not become waterlogged.
A cyclamen which will be grown indoors for only a single season can often remain in the pot it came in, but a cyclamen which you would like to keep for multiple years should ideally be potted into a new container.
The size of this container will depend on the size of the specimen, but as a general rule, the pot should be just large enough to leave 2cm of the growing medium around the tuber of the plant you place in it.
Choosing Compost
Cyclamens should be placed into a growing medium which is rich in organic material, and fertile yet free-draining.
Typically, a loam-based peat-free multipurpose compost should be used but it should be amended with horticultural grit and leaf mould to provide the optimal conditions.
Potting Up Cyclamen
When potting up cyclamen, tubers of hardy types should be planted 3-5cm deep and no deeper.
With tender types, the top of the tuber should sit just above the surface of the soil.
It can be beneficial, especially with tender types, to add a layer of horticultural grit over the surface of the medium after planting.
How Many Can You Plant Per Pot?
Thinking about the eventual size of the particular cyclamen you have chosen, you can place just a single specimen in a smaller pot, or group these together in a slightly larger container.
“Over the years I have gathered a small collection of hardy Cyclamen in my garden,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“This has largely originated from plants bought for winter pots being planted out in spring.
“I normally choose a spot under a mature tree or shrub that provides a sheltered but relatively dry root zone.
“I often forget that I’ve planted them until I see them flowering the following autumn and winter!”
Cyclamen, indoor or outdoor types, can certainly hold their own in pots and create stunning displays, but you might also consider combining cyclamen in containers with other plants with similar growing requirements and perhaps also a similar season of interest.
For example, in a partially shaded spot outdoors, you might fill a container with C. coum, snowdrops, crocuses and primroses for a winter flowering display.
Potted Cyclamen Care
Keep indoor cyclamens in bright, indirect light, at temperatures between 10-15°C over the winter months.
Then, place them outdoors or in a cool spot for the period of dormancy over the summer, bringing them back in when new growth emerges in September.
Keep hardy cyclamen outside year-round in a partially shaded spot.
Though hardy, it is a good idea to add insulating mulch and insulate the pot to keep them safe over the winter.
Trevor Wiltshire from The Cyclamen Society notes the need to keep from overwatering: “More care with watering is required when growing Cyclamen in pots, they must not be overwatered, keep them on the dry side of damp!”
Water indoor-grown cyclamen in pots when the medium is dry, ideally watering from below, and always letting excess water drain away.
Water outdoor containers sparingly when the weather is dry, but note that natural rainfall should be sufficient.
Additional fertilisation is not usually required for outdoor cyclamen, but indoor-grown tender types may benefit from an application of an organic houseplant feed every couple of months.
Outdoor containers should be mulched with leaf mould as soon as the leaves die back.
Tug away dead flowers or leaves gently if you wish to keep the display looking good.
Make sure you look out for mice or squirrels who may uproot your plants when they are growing outdoors.
Remember that there are a number of different cyclamens to choose from, which have different needs and which bloom at different times of the year.
So, there are plenty of great choices for a range of container displays, inside, and outside your home.