Cyclamen care: indoor and outdoor cyclamen explained

By Sophie Sparkes · October 2026 · 6 min read

Cyclamen fill garden centres every autumn, and they cause more confusion than almost any other plant. Some are houseplants that sulk in a warm room, some are tough little perennials that carpet the ground under trees for decades, and they are often sold side by side. Knowing which one you have is most of the battle.

Short answer: the big, showy cyclamen sold in autumn (Cyclamen persicum) is a houseplant that likes it cool: bright, indirect light at 10-15°C, away from radiators. Water from below by standing the pot in water for 15-20 minutes, never over the top of the tuber, and twist off dead flowers right from the base. The small hardy cyclamen (C. hederifolium and C. coum) live outdoors in part shade, need almost no care, and come back every year.

Which cyclamen do you have?

• Florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum): large flowers in red, pink, white or purple on tall stems, sold as houseplants from September to Christmas. Not frost hardy.
• Mini cyclamen: smaller versions of the florist's cyclamen, often sold for outdoor winter pots and window boxes. They cope with a light frost in a sheltered spot, but not a hard freeze, and are usually treated as seasonal.
• Ivy-leaved cyclamen (C. hederifolium): fully hardy, small pink or white flowers from late August to November, often before the leaves appear. Marbled, ivy-shaped leaves follow and last all winter.
• Eastern cyclamen (C. coum): fully hardy, rounded leaves and small, stubby flowers from January to March.

Indoor cyclamen care

Temperature: keep it cool

This is where most indoor cyclamen go wrong. In the wild they grow in the cool, damp winters of the eastern Mediterranean, and they are happiest at 10-15°C. A warm, centrally heated living room above about 18°C makes the leaves yellow and the flowers flop and fade fast. A cool bedroom, porch, hallway or bright kitchen windowsill away from the oven suits them far better.

Light

Bright, indirect light. A north or east-facing windowsill is ideal in winter. Keep it out of strong direct sun and well away from radiators.

Watering: from below

Cyclamen grow from a tuber that sits at the surface of the compost, and water pooling on top of it causes rot. Instead, stand the pot in a saucer or bowl of water for 15-20 minutes, let it soak up what it needs, then let it drain. Do this when the compost feels dry to the touch and the pot feels light. Drooping leaves usually mean it is thirsty, and it will perk up within an hour of a drink.

Deadheading

When a flower fades, follow its stem down to the base, then twist and pull it off cleanly. Cutting leaves a stub that rots. Do the same with yellowing leaves. Removing spent flowers keeps new ones coming for months.

Why are my cyclamen leaves turning yellow?

• Too warm: the most common cause indoors. Move it somewhere cooler.
• Overwatering, or water sitting on the tuber. Check the compost is not soggy and switch to watering from below.
• Too little light.
• Natural dormancy. In late spring, after flowering, cyclamen naturally yellow and die back for the summer. That is normal, not a sign you have killed it.

After flowering: keeping it for next year

Most people treat indoor cyclamen as a seasonal plant, but you can keep them. When the leaves yellow in late spring, gradually reduce watering and let them die back. Keep the pot almost dry in a cool, shady spot over summer, outside or on a cool windowsill. In late August or September, when new leaves start to show, repot into fresh compost with the tuber half above the surface, then start watering again.

Growing hardy cyclamen outdoors

Hardy cyclamen are one of the best plants for dry shade, the difficult spot under trees and shrubs where little else will grow. They like part shade and well-drained soil rich in leaf mould, and they hate sitting wet. Plant them in autumn about 10-15cm apart, with the top of the tuber at or just below the soil surface. Buy them growing in pots rather than as dry tubers in packets, which often fail to establish. Once settled they need no feeding or watering and will spread slowly by seed over the years.

Cyclamen questions

How do you look after a cyclamen indoors?

Keep it cool, ideally 10-15°C, in bright indirect light away from radiators. Water from below by standing the pot in water for 15-20 minutes when the compost feels dry, and twist off dead flowers and yellow leaves right from the base.

Do cyclamen like sun or shade?

Indoors, bright light but not strong direct sun. Outdoors, hardy cyclamen prefer part shade, such as under deciduous trees and shrubs, where they get light in winter and shade in summer.

Do cyclamen come back every year?

Hardy cyclamen do, reliably, for decades. Indoor florist's cyclamen can come back if you let them go dormant over summer and restart them in late summer, but many people treat them as a seasonal plant.

Is cyclamen toxic to cats and dogs?

Yes. Cyclamen are toxic to cats and dogs, and the tuber is the most poisonous part. Eating it can cause vomiting and drooling, and large amounts can be more serious. Keep indoor cyclamen out of reach of pets that chew plants, and call your vet if you think one has eaten some.

Can indoor cyclamen go outside?

Mini cyclamen are often used in outdoor winter pots in sheltered spots and will cope with a light frost. Large florist's cyclamen are best kept indoors in a cool room, or in a porch or cold greenhouse that stays frost-free.

Why is my cyclamen drooping?

Usually thirst: give it a drink from below and it should recover within an hour. If the compost is already wet and the stems are soft at the base, it is more likely overwatering or rot, so let it dry out and check the tuber is firm.