Where to
Plant, Grow, and Care for Hardy Cyclamen
Soil and Temperature Zone
Cyclamen hederifolium is a hardy perennial, robust, tough and durable. It will grow under a large range of conditions from bright sun to deep dry shade but seems most happy in partial to light shade such as found in a woodland habitat. It will grow in any soil, sand or clay and tolerate dry conditions but like any plant it does best in a loose well drained soil with lots of compost.
It seems a cool night or two is needed to break it's dormancy to bloom, so it will not grow well in tropical areas like south Florida. From my own experience hardy cyclamen will do well with overnight temperatures as low as 14 ° F (-10 ° C). The Cyclamen Society reports "It easily survives low temperatures, and grows quite happily in a zone 4 area of New York State, USA where temperatures have reached as low as -28 ° C-19 ° F)." However the gardeners I have heard from in zone 4 have not been able to grow hardy cyclamen outdoors year around. The extended cold and deep ground freeze like that in the Minnesota winter will kill Cyclamen hederifolium. Zone 5 may be marginal but they should survive the winter in protected locations.
For those in the colder agricultural zones you can still grow hardy cyclamen quite well in pots. The corms can be dug up before winter sets in and potted or grow them in pots the year around. The pots can be placed in a cool greenhouse or cold frame through the winter.
Landscape with Hardy Cyclamen
Even though hardy cyclamen looks dainty and small it can have a large impact throughout your garden. Hardy cyclamen are a great addition to the rock garden and alpine garden. Place individual corms among rocks and in gravel. Since they are small it is nice to plant some where you can observe them up close, either in pots or near walks and entryways.
At further distances as an under-plant of large shrubs, like rhododendrons, hardy cyclamen add a whole new layer of color to the landscape. Planted in a bed of their own a colony will form a lovely low ground cover.
Hardy cyclamen are one of the few flowering plants that will flourish in the dry shade one of the most challenging spots in any garden. They thrive under trees and large shrubs, both evergreen or deciduous, where their flowering color and ivy-like foliage can soften and add interest to those bare areas.
Care for Hardy Cyclamen
Hardy cyclamen is one of the easiest plants to care for in the garden. When dormant during the summer the leaves will die down, fall off and dry up. They practically disappear so beware when digging near their bed! With so little remaining it isn't necessary to clean up. Raking should be avoided as it could cause damage to the shallow corm.
The summer dormant period of hardy cyclamen is a great time to move them. If starting with seed or small corms I suggest planting them close together so they make the biggest impact when flowering. As they grow you can dig them up every couple years and expand their growing space or move some to a new area. The plants should be kept moderately moist during the growing season, September to June, and enough moisture applied during summer dormancy to keep the soil in a loose condition. Fertilizing isn't necessary. When the leaves die down and dormancy begins it is helpful to cover with an inch of leaf mould, compost or fine mulch.
Hardy Cyclamen has few Pests
Pests and disease are rare. I have found slugs and snails may take a bite but generally leave them alone. Squirrels may dig them up and try a taste but don't care for them. The only pest I know of is the grub of the black vine weevil. The adults avoid the foliage so there isn't any telltale notches in the leaves to alert you to their presence. They are usually only a problem if you are planting them in an area that is infested with them. The grubs bore into the tuber and cause them damage. The best remedy is an application of beneficial nematodes, Nemasys H, to the soil in fall and spring. These pests are abundant here in western Oregon and none have been a problem for me.