Smartiz Fantasia Cyclamen

Smartiz Fantasia Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum 'Smartiz Fantasia') flowers through winter, which is the whole point of it. It makes a neat clump about 25cm high and wide, holding pink and white blooms flecked and edged in two tones above patterned silver green leaves. In a season when most pots have nothing to show, it carries colour for months. One caution before you buy: the tubers are toxic to pets.

Why you'll love it

• Colour through the cold months. It flowers when the garden is at its quietest, from the first cool weather through to early spring.
• Flecked two tone blooms. The pink and white markings differ from flower to flower, so a single pot has real variation in it.
• Small enough for anywhere. At 25cm across it fits a windowsill, a balcony rail planter or the front edge of a shaded border.
• Foliage worth having. The heart shaped leaves are marbled silver and green, worth looking at between flushes.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. A 200mm pot suits one plant, or group three in a 350mm bowl about 15cm apart. Pots also let you lift the plant out of sight once it goes dormant in summer.

Indoors. A bright, cool room is ideal. It resents heat, so keep it away from heaters and hot north facing glass and it flowers for weeks longer.

Borders, balconies and courtyards. Use it as a winter edging where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, or on a sheltered balcony.

Growing Cyclamen in Australia

Position and climate. This is a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean plant. It dislikes heat and humidity, so in subtropical districts treat it as an indoor or seasonal pot plant rather than a garden perennial. Outdoors it wants bright shade or morning sun, and it takes light frost only.

Soil. Free draining and open. Set the top of the tuber just above soil level rather than buried, because a tuber sitting in damp soil rots quickly.

Water and feed. Water into the saucer or around the rim, not over the crown, and let the surface dry between drinks. Give a half strength liquid feed every three weeks while it is in leaf, then stop once it yellows off.

Summer dormancy. This is normal, not failure. As the weather warms the leaves yellow and die back and the plant rests underground. Keep the pot dry and shaded through summer, then water again when the first leaves appear in autumn.

What to expect when it arrives

This cyclamen is sold as tube stock, a young plant with a developing tuber rather than the flowering specimen in the photographs. Pot it on into a 200mm container with free draining mix and expect flowers in its first cool season, fuller in the second year.

Cyclamen leaves are soft, so some flattening or wilting in transit is normal and lifts within a few days. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Keeping indoor plants alive through the seasons
• Browse indoor flowering plants
• See other plants suited to pots
• Compare the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Cyclamen tubers are toxic to pets, with the highest concentration below soil level. Keep the pot off the floor and out of reach if your cat or dog digs or chews.

My plant has yellowed and collapsed. Have I killed it?

Almost certainly not. Cyclamen go dormant over summer and the leaves die back naturally. Stop watering, move the pot somewhere dry and shaded, and it will shoot again in autumn.

Why are the flowers not lasting?

Warmth is the usual reason. A spot near a heater or in hot afternoon sun shortens the display considerably, while a cool bright room stretches it out.

Can I grow it in a subtropical garden?

Not reliably in the ground, since it dislikes heat and humidity. Grown in a pot in a cool sheltered spot, or indoors, it still performs well through winter.