Latinia Fantasia Cyclamen

Latinia Fantasia Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum 'Latinia Fantasia') is a compact pot cyclamen bred for bicoloured and picotee flowers in pink, red, purple and white. It stays around 25cm tall and wide, flowering through winter and into spring when little else is.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers in the cold months. Winter and early spring are its season, exactly when a courtyard or a windowsill needs colour.
• Two tone flowers. Picotee edges and bicoloured petals across pink, red, purple and white mean a small group gives real variety.
• Small enough for anywhere. At about 25cm each way it fits a windowsill, a balcony pot or the front edge of a shaded border.
• Patterned leaves. Heart shaped foliage marbled in silver and deep green carries the pot between flushes of flower.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. A pot 150mm to 200mm wide suits one plant, and a shallow bowl of three or five makes a far better display.

Indoors. A cool, bright room out of direct sun and away from heaters is ideal. Warm indoor air is the most common reason a cyclamen collapses early.

Balconies, courtyards and borders. Outdoors it wants a sheltered, shaded spot with protection from heavy rain, which marks the flowers. Space plants about 20cm apart along a border edge.

Growing Latinia Fantasia Cyclamen in Australia

Position and climate. Cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens suit it best, in partial shade or bright indirect light. It takes light frost only, so in cold districts keep pots under an eave. In hot, humid climates treat it as a seasonal indoor plant rather than a garden perennial.

Soil. Free draining potting mix, with the top of the tuber sitting just proud of the surface. Burying the tuber is the classic mistake and it leads to rot.

Water and feed. Water into the saucer or around the rim rather than over the crown, and tip out what is not taken up within an hour. Feed a half strength liquid fertiliser every three weeks while it is in flower.

After flowering. As the weather warms the leaves yellow and fall and the plant goes dormant. That is normal, not failure. Move the pot somewhere dry and shaded, withhold water through summer, then water again in early autumn.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock: young plants with a small tuber and a handful of leaves, so they will not be in full flower on arrival. Give one a season and you get a stronger plant than a supermarket cyclamen already in bloom.

Handle tubes by the pot rather than the leaves, because the stems snap easily. Pot them up promptly and keep them cool. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more indoor flowering plants
• Plants suited to pots and containers
• Small courtyard garden ideas
• Small pots with proper drainage

Common questions

Is it safe around pets?

No. All parts of a cyclamen are toxic to cats and dogs, and the tuber is the most concentrated part. Keep pots up off the floor and out of reach of any pet that chews plants.

Why are the leaves turning yellow?

In late spring it is dormancy arriving and nothing is wrong. At any other time it usually means water sitting around the crown or too much warmth, so check the drainage and move the pot somewhere cooler.

Will it come back next year?

Yes, if you let it rest. Keep the tuber dry and shaded through summer, then resume watering in early autumn and it will push new leaves and a fresh round of flowers.

Can it grow in a hot climate?

Not in the garden. It is a cool season plant, so in subtropical and tropical areas grow it in a pot indoors over winter and treat it as a seasonal display.