Winter cyclamen
Cyclamen coum ·
Small, swept-back flowers in magenta, pink or white in the depths of winter, over rounded leaves that are often marbled with silver. The leaves die away in summer.
- Size
- 3 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early February to late March
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around winter cyclamen
The planner designed this bed around winter 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 winter cyclamen stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lingonberry × 13, pink
- 2 Polyanthus primrose × 8, yellow
- 3 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 4 Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' × 3, white
- 5 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 6 Wild geranium × 5, pink
- 7 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
- 8 Checkered lily × 5, purple
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 3 in it stands ahead of Korean feather reed grass (4 ft) without hiding it.
- 12 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 7 weeks. From early February to late March.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- 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 7 groups (71%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 45% of the visual weight and the right half 55%. Pink runs through the planting: 4 of the 8 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where winter cyclamen goes in a border
At 3 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.
It flowers with the snowdrops, and pink beside white is one of the best sights of late winter. It likes the dry shade under deciduous trees, and seeds itself slowly into colonies.
- Winter flowers under trees and shrubs
- With snowdrops
- Dry shade in summer
What to plant with winter cyclamen
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Snowdrop: in flower together for three weeks, from early March; tall enough (6 in) to stand behind it.
- Lenten rose: 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.
Questions about winter cyclamen
Does winter cyclamen need sun or shade?
Winter 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 a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does winter cyclamen grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does winter cyclamen flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early February to late March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early February to late March |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early February to mid March |
| Zone 7 | Late January to early March |
| Zone 8 | Mid January to early March |
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 winter cyclamen be planted?
4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 in (8 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many winter cyclamen plants do I need?
At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 343 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 12 in two groups.
Is winter 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 the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like winter cyclamen?
These come closest to doing what winter 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.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What can I plant to hide winter 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 winter cyclamen look like in winter?
Winter 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.
More Cyclamen
- Hardy cyclamen Cyclamen hederifolium
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- The first flowers of spring
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 3 in (8 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early February to late March; pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against 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.