Halios Timboon Winter Cyclamen

Halios Timboon Winter Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum 'Halios Timboon Winter') is a large flowered florist cyclamen bred to perform through the cold months, when almost nothing else is in bloom. It makes a neat mound about 300mm tall and wide, with silver marbled heart shaped leaves and upswept flowers in pink and white tones held clear above the foliage. It is a pot plant first, indoors or on a sheltered verandah.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers through winter. The display runs across the coldest months and can hold for eight to twelve weeks in a cool bright spot.
• Foliage carries it between flushes. The silver marbled leaves are worth having on their own, so the pot never looks empty.
• Neat and small. At 300mm across it fits a windowsill, a table or a narrow border without crowding anything.
• It prefers cool rooms. Unlike most indoor plants it does best somewhere unheated, so it suits rooms others sulk in.

Where it works best

Pots and indoors. A 150mm to 200mm pot is ideal. Give it a bright position out of direct sun, and keep it away from heaters, which shorten the flowering badly.

Balconies and courtyards. A sheltered spot with morning sun suits it in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, provided it stays out of frost and heavy rain.

Borders and edging. In a cool climate garden it works as a seasonal edging under deciduous trees, planted 25cm apart and left to go dormant once the weather warms.

Growing Halios Timboon Winter Cyclamen in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light and cool air. Around 15 degrees suits it; warm rooms bring the flowering to an early end. It is frost tender, so outdoors it needs shelter, and in subtropical and tropical gardens it is best treated as a short term indoor plant.

Soil. A free draining potting mix with the top of the tuber sitting slightly proud of the surface. Buried tubers rot, which is the single most common way these plants are lost.

Water and feed. Water into the saucer rather than over the crown, let it soak up what it needs, then tip out the rest. Liquid feed at half strength every three weeks while it is in flower.

Dormancy. Once the weather warms the leaves yellow and die back. This is normal. Stop watering, keep the pot dry and shaded through summer, then start again in early autumn and it will reshoot.

What to expect when it arrives

It is supplied as tube stock, so you are buying a young plant rather than a flowering pot from a florist. Expect a small rooted plant with a few leaves that needs potting into a 150mm container and a season of growing before it flowers well.

Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Pot it up on arrival and settle it in a cool bright place. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to keep your indoor plants alive covers light, watering and airflow.
• Choosing the right size pot for a plant this small.
• Compare other indoor flowering plants for winter colour.
• Browse plants suited to pots for companions.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The tuber is toxic to cats and dogs, causing vomiting and more serious effects in quantity. Keep the pot off the floor in a home with pets that chew plants.

Why have the leaves gone yellow?

Most often summer dormancy, which is normal and expected. If it happens in the middle of the flowering season, look instead at heat, direct sun or water sitting around the crown.

How do I water it?

From below. Stand the pot in water for ten minutes, then drain it fully. Water poured over the crown collects between the leaf stems and rots the tuber.

Will it flower again next year?

Yes, if you let it rest through summer. Resume watering in early autumn, and repot every second year.