Keep these butterfly-petaled holiday flowers blooming for months with a few simple care steps.
Cyclamens might just be the overachievers of the holiday plant world—showing off bright, butterfly-shaped blooms right when everything outside turns dull. These winter superstars don’t just look elegant; they’ll keep flowering for months if you treat them right. From cool temps to careful watering, cyclamens have strong opinions about how they like to live. Here’s your guide to keeping them happy, blooming, and beautiful all season long.
Cyclamens (Cyclamen persicum) have brightly colored flowers in white, red, or pink suspended above attractive, heart-shaped leaves on slender stems. Some people say they resemble butterflies in flight!
When selecting this winter-blooming houseplant, choose one with lots of buds just starting to open as well as sturdy, succulent leaves.
With proper care, cyclamens will bloom near Christmas and continue blossoming for 2 to 3 months.
Cyclamen Plant Care
You’ll be fine if you consider the conditions that make cyclamens happy. Make sure to review what they need if you want these delicate plants to keep blooming.
The most important elements for cyclamen happiness are bright indirect light, good air circulation, moderate humidity, and moist growing medium (without keeping the tuber so wet that it rots).
They need high humidity, maybe daily misting, plus a pebble tray. (Pebble trays are great for indoor plants during the dry winter heating season. Put a layer of gravel in a shallow tray, set the containers on the gravel, and add water to just below the bottom of the pots. Refill to offset evaporation.)
Lighting
Cyclamens need good light but not too bright. Place them in an east-facing window or northern window that offers bright, indirect light.
Temperature
They prefer cooler temperatures of 60° to 65°F (15° to 18°C) in the daytime and 50° to 55°F (10° to 13°C) in the evening. If that’s challenging, strive to not allow temperatures go above 70°F (21°C), or the plant will think it’s time to go dormant, which will cause it to stop blooming and drop its leaves. Also, keep it away from drafts of any kind.
Watering
Keep the potting mix moist but not soggy. Wait until the growing medium looks and feels dry on the surface and the foliage looks as if it’s just starting to get limp. Never water on top of the tuber in the center, which may rot if the potting mix remains too wet. Never water the leaves. A safer watering method that we use is to place each pot in a saucer or pan of water for about 5 to 10 minutes, then set aside to drain.
Humidity
Cyclamens need moderate-to-high humidity—be sure to mist often. Setting cyclamens in a shallow pebble tray is an easy way to add humidity. Just add a layer of gravel to the tray and set the pots on top; pour water into the tray to just below the pot bottoms and refill when needed.
Feeding
Half-strength fertilizer is best, or you will get mostly leaves with few flowers. Use a half-strength portion of liquid houseplant fertilizer every 2 weeks while the plant is in bloom.
Flowers
As each flower fades, remove the entire flower stalk from where it attaches to the tuber by giving it a gentle tug. New flowers will emerge from one of the many buds waiting just below the foliage.
What to Do After Cyclamens Stop Blooming
Most folks treat cyclamens as disposable holiday plants, similar to poinsettias. If you wish to keep your cyclamens growing, consider these tips:
- In early spring, cyclamens naturally stop blooming; leaves will turn yellow as the plants go dormant. Gradually reduce the water until June and pick off the dead leaves. Set the plants outside in partial shade, and water and feed regularly. Do not wet the center of the plant.
- In early June, stop watering altogether and expose the corms to full sun.
- At the end of July, begin watering again. When the corms begin to develop young leaves, replant in a larger pot.
- Bring the plant back inside in early fall. It will usually start producing new leaves and flower buds soon, and you will have recycled your cyclamen!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cyclamens hard to care for?
Not once you know their preferences! Cyclamens need bright indirect light, cool temperatures, and consistent moisture—without getting their tubers wet.
Why are my cyclamen leaves turning yellow?
Yellowing leaves signal dormancy or stress from heat or overwatering. Cyclamens prefer cooler temps under 70°F and growing medium kept just slightly moist.
How often should I water cyclamens?
Water only when the top of the potting mix feels dry, and always from the bottom to avoid rotting the tuber. Submerging the pot in water for 5 to 10 minutes works well.
How long do cyclamens bloom?
With proper care, cyclamens will bloom for 2 to 3 months through winter.
Can cyclamens rebloom next year?
Yes! Allow the plant to go dormant in spring, rest over summer, then resume watering in late July. Cyclamens can rebloom beautifully with the right cycle.
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Hi Rita, We'd suggest you go to an aloe vera page and an expert can help you there. Here's one : https://www.almanac.com/blog/natural-health-home-tips/aloe-vera-self-regenerating-first-aid-kit
You can plant them in a bigger container if you like and put the pot outside. Or, you can plant them in the ground and water when soil is dry.
Let the plant go dormant. Start watering regularly in early spring and move the plant closer to a sunny window. When tempetures allow it move the plant outside.
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