“Oh what the heck. Let’s see what [plant] I can kill next.” Behind me I heard a garden center employee moan “Nooooo, it will be fiiiine. Everything will BE FINE.” I think she was trying to convince herself more than me. I was holding a Christmas cactus in one hand and a beautiful cyclamen in the other. I decided not to regale her with my tales of leaf drop, root rot and invading ants. The Christmas cactus will be fine. It’s the cyclamen she has to worry about.
If you do a little research on cyclamens, they appear to be more of one-and-done type of plant like a Poinsettia. Yes you can go through all the rigmarole of caring for them during their 3-month, post-bloom dormancy but it’s probably not worth the time or effort. That’s why I was never really interested in growing cyclamens until I saw this one:
Even the checkout clerk cooed when she saw it. The blossoms are hot pink, but some of them are infused with electric purple. The color is so striking that my camera has trouble focusing:
When I read the growing instructions for cyclamens I got a headache. They are tropical plants that like moist conditions so you shouldn’t let them dry out. But don’t overwater them or the tuber will rot. And keep them away from drafts or dry, hot air. Yes, this is going to be a cinch.
Since the chances are slim that this plant will survive winter in my house I’m going to savor each and every blossom one day at a time.