Have you seen this latest addition to the houseplant cyclamen range yet? Cyclamen persicum En Vogue Purple is something quite unique in a cyclamen flower. Before this plant starts to flower it just looks like any other type of cyclamen but once those flower buds open it looks ever so different.
At the end of the flowering stem it has a large white calyx and from that calyx beautiful elongated purple petals extend. The calyx is so heavy that the flowers cannot hold up their heads. So they look like little parasols held above the marbled white and green leaves.
It has a flowering period from September to December and is treated just like any other type of cyclamen.
Cyclamen persicum En Vogue Purple Care Tips
Parasol like Petals
The underneath part of the petals is certainly not as interesting!
For 6 months a year I get asked how I look after cyclamen. It doesn’t matter if it’s Cyclamen persicum En Vogue Purple or just a common cyclamen houseplant. The care instructions are exactly the same. I’ve looked after tens of thousands of them professionally over the years so these are my tips for growing as a houseplant.
Firstly remember the plants life cycle is the key to success in looking after these houseplants…
Cyclamen Life cycle
Firstly it is a Mediterranean plant. And as the temperature rises from April time onwards the leaves start to turn yellow and it goes into dormancy as a little tuber. Consequently it stays dry all summer. Once the temperatures start to decrease after the hot dry summer and there is more moisture available it starts to produce leaves again. Then by late autumn the flower buds have appeared.
Temperature (critical in preventing yellow leaves)
Keep it on a cool frost free window sill as the leaves will turn yellow if the room is too warm. Remember its life cycle above! If the room gets too warm the cyclamen gets confused and thinks that summer is on its way. Therefore it starts to go into dormancy hence the yellow leaves. Approx 55 degrees F is the best temperature for them. Preferably in indirect sunlight or on a north or east facing window sill.
Feeding
Feed weekly to encourage new leaves. The feeding also helps to prevent yellow leaves.
Watering
Let the top 2 inches of the compost dry out. Never water directly over the tuber but water either from the base or from the top near the sides of the pot. Never let the plants sit in water for too long as they detest “wet feet”.
Weekly Maintenance
Pull off the fading flower stems and old leaves as close to the tuber as possible to prevent grey mould/botrytis.
A little tidbit…
When you are buying your cyclamen gently move away the leaves and look into the centre of the plant. The best plant to buy is one that has lots and lots of new flower buds sitting hidden under those leaves.
What do you think – do you prefer this new introduction or the more traditional type of cyclamen flower?
Gerry Snape
I adore the colour. Every thing moves on and that's how we get so many wonderful plants.
Thankyou for showing us this cyclamen
Tatyana@MySecretGarden
Hi Rosie! Thank you for this post and fantastic pictures! I love cyclamen, any type! This is the first season when I have them in my garden. Big or small, they all are so beautiful! Thanks for all the useful info!
gardeningasylum
I quite like EVP – it's a nice twist on the usual cyclamen, though any color is welcome this time of year!
Plant Chaser
Wow! Another cyclamen post. I'm learning a lot about this plant today. Am I right tha the petals of this species don't turn upward? Although you are right about the calyx side being more interesting to look at.
gardenwalkgardentalk.com
That second image is a Georgia O'Keefe image. Love the lines in the shot. I am a big fan of her work.
Andrea
Hello Rosie, Whatever your cyclamen looks like, they are all beautiful for me, as we don't see them often but in garden shows where they grow them in the highlands. I just dont know how long they are kept good in the hot and humid tropics of the lowlands and the city. I love specifically their leaf venations and the petite growth as if they are just shy!
One
Thanks for the beautiful photos and tips. I am not familiar with this plant. I don't see them here but those tips are applicable for other plants as well.
AaronVFT
Love the vibrant cyclamens! Never seen this varity before, it certainly looks like parasols haha. They are very difficult to grow here.
Edith Hope
Dear Rosie, I do like Cyclamen and have noted your points on keeping them alive since I have little success in this area! The new variety you show here is absolutely charming. A dynamic colour and a movement to the petals with its different form. I shall certainly be on the look out for it.
PatioPatch
Love all cyclamens – a touch of exotic when not much else is flowering. This white calyx is very striking. Thanks for all the info, Rosie
Laura
Floridagirl
That is a beautiful color! Wish we could grow cyclamens here….
JWLW
HI Rosie: Thanks for the great post.
Cyclamen is an interesting plant. recently took interest in them, your post was very informative and enjoyable.
Have a wonderfull day,
John
Melanie
It's very pretty Rosie. I've never been tempted by their gorgeous flower colours and distinct foliage. I know they are perennials but I didn't know their dormant period was in the summer.
Hocking Hills Gardener
Hi Rose. Wow! What s pretty one. I love the shocking pinks color with the touch of white. Don't you just love the leaves though? So beautiful.
scottweberpdx
How lovely! I adore Cyclamens…but I never have had any luck with them 🙁
maiaT
The color is gorgeous but as trendy as it is, I find the flower of the old type is more beautiful.
Good that this useful info is for each of them.
Your photos are fantastic!
debsgarden
I have never grown cyclamen, but I think they are beautiful. I might prefer the new one, though I would love any one that would grow in my garden! But that is not likely :<
Visioplanet Photography
Some real beautiful flowers you have.. Quite informative…
kanak7
Rosie, I have never seen cyclamen before, except on blogs. This is a beautiful specimen and I liked going through the details about its care. Your photos are stunning.
Caroline Gill
I don't know which kind I prefer, Rosie, but these Parasols are stunning! We saw wild Cyclamen in the nooks and crannies of the archaeological sites we visited around Pylos in Greece, back in September.
Thank you for Ladybird ID: my first Harlequin, but probably not something to celebrate … The survey folk have been notified, with pix.
Lucy Corrander
I've never seen a cyclamen I don't like. They really are lovely flowers.
Thank you for following Pictures Just Pictures.
I’ve now used all the allotted space for photos on there and have started a new blog so I can carry on. It’s called
Message in a Milk Bottle
http://messageinamilkbottle.blogspot.com/
I’ve given it a different look but its purpose is unchanged – a photo a day.
Lucy
Anna
Definitely different Rosie ~ I think that I need to see it in the flesh to make my mind up about whether I like it. I never have much joy with indoor cyclamens so have read your cultivation notes with interest 🙂
James Missier
its a beautiful flowering plant to have. I had seen this plant sold so many times in the supermarkets in my place and often consider them not buying them for I know that they really need a lot of care having them in tropical regions.
Your upside down flower had managed to not to become one. Interesting indeed.
amatterofhowyouseeit.com
The color of those petals is so vivid and beautiful!
Rose
Thanks for these great tips on growing cyclamen, Rosie! I've never had much luck with them in the past, but now I see all that I was doing wrong. I think I'll give one a try again, and this time follow your excellent advice.
maiaT
Well Rosie, I'll say it again; these are gorgeous blooms. What an amazing color!
Pam's English Garden
Dear Rosie, A very informative post. Thank you. I love the new variety. Your photos are stunning, as always. Pam x
Gardening in a Sandbox
What a lovely flower. So delicate.
Charlotte
Gorgeous pix Rosie – certainly bringing some joy during this hideous spell of winter weather!