Question
Hi Arlene.  I was given a cyclamen plant for Christmas and was told that the plant needed little water and was ok to be kept outdoors. I kept the plant outdoors in the corner of my terrace, and watered the plant by standing it in a bucket for 15 minutes once when the flowers began to droop.  A few of the leaves have gone soft and turned yellow and a couple of the red flowers have dried out and some have slightly brown/black edges.  The temperature where I am in Italy is around 7/9 degrees centigrade during the day and below zero at night.  I have found conflicting information on the internet and do not know whether the plant should be left outdoors or brought in.  Please could you tell me what the ideal conditions are for the survival and continued blooming of this plant?
Thanks again for your help.
Viki

Answer
Viki,

It should not be left outdoors at night when the temperatures are below freezing. It should not be outside below 5 degrees centigrade. It likes cool temperatures 5-15 degrees is ideal. It also likes a sunny location. It needs to be watered and your method of soaking is fine but it does like to dry out between waterings. Pick it up regularly and whenever it feels really light it is time to soak it again. I hope the freezing temperatures haven't already caused too much damage. Good luck.

Darlene