Cyclamen

 Last winter I received a lovely cyclamen, filled with blooms. It was happy in a North facing window, blooming for several months. I was determined to have it bloom another year so once the mild weather arrived I let it slowly dry out under a table in the garden. All the leaves fell off and the corm, the bulb-like structure that stores its food and produces the leaves and blooms, rested unwatered until early fall. I brought it into a cool dark place and watered just a bit - and waited. After several weeks a little curled up leaf emerged. I brought the plant into the house by a north facing window. Weeks went by and more leaves unfurled. Then in early December tiny buds emerged. I continued to water sparingly, careful not to let the soil get soggy which would rot the corms, putting stones on the bottom of the dish so extra water would drain out.

By the beginning of February the buds began to slowly open. Definitely worth the wait I think. I like how it looks in its second year. Fewer blooms giving the whole plant a more delicate, natural feeling. Cyclamen hederifolium can be grown as a perennial outdoors in warmer climates where it will spread under trees.