Hardy cyclamen
Cyclamen hederifolium · Primulaceae
Pink or white flowers rise from bare ground in early autumn, followed by ivy-shaped leaves, patterned in silver and green, that carpet the ground until late spring.
- Size
- 5 in tall, 10 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Late August to mid October
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around hardy cyclamen
The planner designed this bed around hardy cyclamen when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why hardy cyclamen stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Blue star creeper × 19, blue
- 2 Lungwort × 5, pink
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 4 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 5 Blue-stemmed goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Hardy cyclamen × 8, white
- 8 Giant snowdrop × 10, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 5 in it stands ahead of blue-stemmed goldenrod (2½ ft) without hiding it.
- 8 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From late August to mid October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With turtlehead 'Hot Lips', Korean feather reed grass and blue-stemmed goldenrod in early September: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it. The back corners are held by turtlehead 'Hot Lips' and Korean feather reed grass, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hardy cyclamen goes in a border
At 5 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
One of the few plants that thrive in dry shade at the foot of a tree. The marbled winter leaves are as valuable as the flowers. Plant the tubers shallowly and leave them alone.
- Dry shade under trees
- Winter foliage
- Autumn flowers among fallen leaves
What to plant with hardy cyclamen
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: flowers first, late March to early May, so the spot is never empty; bold leaves against its medium ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- Red barrenwort: flowers first, late April to mid May, so the spot is never empty; tall enough (12 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about hardy cyclamen
Does hardy cyclamen need sun or shade?
Hardy cyclamen grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does hardy cyclamen grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does hardy cyclamen flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late August to mid October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late August to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late August to mid October |
| Zone 7 | Late August to mid October |
| Zone 8 | Late August to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Mid August to mid October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should hardy cyclamen be planted?
6 in (15 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 10 in (25 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 in (12 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hardy cyclamen plants do I need?
At 6 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 48 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 21 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 153 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is hardy cyclamen poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten. The tubers are the most poisonous part, and eating a lot of them can affect the heart.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like hardy cyclamen?
These come closest to doing what hardy cyclamen does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Yellow trout lily: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid April to early May, yellow, not pink.
- Striped squill: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late March to mid April, blue, not pink.
- Liverleaf: the same size and the same colour; a drift, not a bulb layer, flowers late March to late April.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat hardy cyclamen?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What can I plant to hide hardy cyclamen's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost': 16 in tall and 18 in wide, in flower late April to late May.
What does hardy cyclamen look like in winter?
Hardy cyclamen is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
Is hardy cyclamen good for bees and butterflies?
Hardy cyclamen is visited by bees.
More Cyclamen
- Winter cyclamen Cyclamen coum
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for bees
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 5 in (12 cm) tall, 10 in (25 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 in (15 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late August to mid October; pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Primulaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, western Asia
- Attracts
- Bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.