Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)
Cyclamen is a very popular, winter flowering, potted plant that has a nice compact growth habit with beautiful flowers on long stalks adorned with decorative foliage. The foliage is patterned in silver and green shades while the leaves are heart-shaped and two to three inches in diameter. The flower stalk is nine to twelve inches tall and the flower size is around one to two inches long.

Cyclamen plants prefer temperatures around 50 and 70 degrees F, although they can take cooler temperatures without damage. The Cyclamen needs to be put in high light (near a window), so it can have the much needed cool evenings (make sure it is away from the drafts).

Watering your Cyclamen is like most other plants, just keep it moist but not too wet. Fertilize this plant once a month to encourage more dynamic blooming. If you notice that your Cyclamen buds or flowers are beginning to drop then you need to raise the humidity, you can do this by placing the plant on a pebble tray.

To prepare your Cyclamen for dormancy you will need to let the leaves die down then gradually reduce the amount of water and let the soil dry out. When all the top growth is gone then you need to dig up the corm and replant (make sure corm is dry). When you replant this corm you will need to make sure that the corm is halfway out of the potting media, then water thoroughly and place in a well lit area. With proper care your Cyclamens can bloom for several months.

Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
If you like a large flower with the ability to change colors, then the Hydrangea is just for you. The Hydrangea comes in white, pink, purple, and blue color varieties. What is so dandy about this plant, is that if you have a pink flower color you can also get a blue flower color. All you do is just add a compound to the soil that changes the acidity of the soil (do this before the flower opens). Different compounds will change the soil pH, which alters the availability of aluminum in the soil.

In acidic soils, the flowers will be blue; in alkaline soils the flowers will be pink. Aluminum is available to the plant in acidic soils; by keeping the soil acidity around 5 or 5.5 you will have a better blue colored bloom.

The sheer size of Hydrangea flowers cannot be ignored, as they are six to eight inches across in a sphere-like shape. The leaves are oval with saw-edged margins and are four to six inches long. Hydrangeas do not like direct sunlight but need bright light to produce flowers.

When watering your Hydrangea, you will need to keep the potting media moist at all times, from spring to fall. After it flowers you will need to continue to water it and feed it. In the summer you can keep your Hydrangea outdoors but in the winter you will need to place it in a frost free room. Water it sparingly in the winter and towards the middle of winter move it to a brighter room and increase the watering.

Happy Gardening!
Joe Cannon
Fairview Greenhouses and Garden Center


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