How Do I Keep My Cyclamen Blooming?

Cyclamen flowers are the perfect little bloom to complement your garden  – small and delicate, with a good long flowering season. But, how do I keep my Cyclamen blooming? is a cry that you will hear up and down the country.

Without further ado, let’s look at some of the answers that you can use to help your Cyclamen be bright and beautiful for as long as possible.

When Do Cyclamen Flower?

There are a few different species of Cyclamen – in fact, the genus contains about 20 of these perennials!

Some species flower from September to December, others flower from December to March.

Most Cyclamen will only bloom in the winter, when the temperatures are cool enough for them to venture forth their flowers.

If you get both types, you can literally have flowers all throughout the winter, until the spring arrives to bring you new blooms!

In general, Cyclamen flower when the weather is cooler, to conserve their energy and prevent them getting too hot.

This is great news for a UK winter garden, when not much is blooming and the borders can look very bare!

Why Is My Cyclamen Flowering In Summer?

Cyclamen are native to Mediterranean countries, where the winters are mild and the summers are very hot and dry.

Cyclamen generally flower in their home countries during the winter, so they can avoid the hot, arid conditions of the summer.

You may find that your Cyclamen bloom in the summer if the conditions are particularly dry and cool, and less like a blazing Mediterranean summer.

You might also find that if you plant your Cyclamen in a shady spot that they bloom outside of their normal times.

Some people will deliberately plant their Cyclamen in cool areas of their garden, to trick them into flowering more frequently!

How Long Does Cyclamen Bloom?

Cyclamen are great to grow in the garden or to give as gifts, because they tend to bloom during times that other flowers are completely dormant.

These hardy little flowers can bloom throughout the winter; all the way through from September to March.

If you plant a few different species, that flower at different times, you can have flowers from the very beginning of winter to the first days of spring!

• Cyclamen Coum AGM. This type has pink or purplish flowers that appear from January to March, during even the harshest weather.
• Cyclamen Hederifolium AGM. Large pinkish flowers will pop up before the leaves have turned in the autumn.
• Cyclamen Purpurascens. The fragrant pink flowers appear from the very end of summer.

If you’re interested in reading a little more about Cyclamen varieties, have a look at some of these articles from the Royal Horticultural Society.

What Month Do Cyclamen Go Dormant?

Cyclamen come from Mediterranean areas, where the winters are mild and the summers are blazingly hot.

Many plants really can’t cope when the temperature gets too high, so these delicate little plants tend to go dormant when it gets too hot, to save themselves.

You will probably find that your Cyclamen go dormant around the summer, when temperatures get high enough to frighten them off!

They will generally stay hidden beneath the soil, not producing any flowers or foliage, throughout the summer, then reemerge in the autumn.

Why Are My Cyclamen Flowers Drooping?

When the flowers start to droop on these normally hardy little plants, you have to look for outside reasons.

Water is a big reason for flower drooping. Do they have too much? Do they not have enough?

Without enough water to survive, the whole plant will die. However, too much water will kill off your Cyclamen just as quickly!

Check the soil – if it feels dry, then water the plant. If it is moist then hold off the watering can for a few days.

Too much water is the main reason for Cyclamen’s pretty flowers drooping – however there can be a few other reasons:

• Fertilizer can also be an issue – these plants like nutrients, but not too much! If you have been regularly feeding your Cyclamen, maybe lay off for a bit.
• Pests and diseases can also affect Cyclamen, so keep an eye out for creepy crawlies on the leaves. Just about the only way to get rid of them is to remove the affected parts, or use an insecticidal soap or spray.
• Too much heat can dramatically affect a Cyclamen, so if it is a particularly warm autumn you may wish to find it some more shade.

How To Get Cyclamen To Rebloom?

Getting Cyclamen to rebloom can be a tricky business – but it is something that you CAN do – with a little care, effort and attention.

• Deadheading them regularly will help them to produce more flowers, as it prevents the flowers from going to seed so they produce more flowers.
• Keep the plant in its preferred conditions – i.e. cool, dry and out of the direct sunlight.
• Keep the watering to an absolute minimum, because if it is too wet then it won’t flower at all, and the entire root of the plant may be compromised.
• Fertilize it during its flowering season, then lay off completely when it goes dormant.

You really don’t have to get rid of your Cyclamen plant once it has had one round of flowers – it will come back for another go the following year!

This video will help you with ideas to get your Cyclamen to rebloom – you’ll have to skip to around 10 minutes though!

For the best tips on how to keep your Cyclamen blooming for as long as possible, have a read through all our tips above. Hopefully they will keep you in flowers for a good long time to come!

Although Cyclamen won’t bloom the whole year long, at least now you know how to keep them going for as long as possible and how to make the very most of them.