Cyclamen

bang on! Cyclamen

Agree. And I’m no house plant expert, but i believe it is toxic to cats and dogs, so may want to keep it away from your kitties.

Correct. But the tubers have to be ingested. More information: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/cyclamen

Excellent thank you, I can plant them outside.

One of my friends just recently almost lost her cat because it chewed on cyclamen leaves. If your cats go outside, I wouldn't risk it.

There's hardy cyclamen and what's called florist cyclamen, which is hardy to 25 degrees. I think yours is a florist cyclamen. I ID them by the larger flowers and that they are usually sold where houseplants are sold.

https://www.portlandnursery.com/perennials/cyclamen

Agree that this is a florist's cyclamen, Cyclamen persica. It cannot live outdoors in your climate - it is considered a houseplant.. Just keep it out of the way of any cats. I've never had any issues with cats munching on them, in or out of the house. But then, my cats never showed an interest in eating plants other than cat grass.

It's indoors Annie.

I knew it was cyclamen but didn't know it was poisonous to cats. I buy them regularly at Traders and in fact just took one outside to perk it up.

Cyclamen are hard to keep for very long but I have the best results watering them with cold water from the fridge.

Great, thank you all for the advice! I do wish they'd put a tag on it so I'd know for sure. I may just plant it outside anyway and let mother nature take her course. Other than my orchids, essentially, I have very few other indoor plants.

My girls are in and out, but I've never seen them show interest in any plants other than grass, with which they are pretty fussy too.

You could put it out in summer and bring it back in over winter. But these are usually treated as short lived indoor decoration since they're tricky to keep happy long term. They rot off easily if not carefully watered and they don't like heat or dry air. If you plant it outside it will be killed by the first frost.

When I first started getting cyclamens, I would put them out in summer and they would promptly turn their toes up. Then I read that they originated in the Himalayas and reasoned that they prefer it cooler, which is why mine live inside all year round and get watered with fridge water.

They get very lanky....and not that pretty. It's like growing impatiens indoors. Or Oxalis or Brugmansia or Purple heart. My white one. Take a few photos while it looks good....:0) I photoshopped it with this frame.

Thanks all for the advice. I'll probably stick it in the ground eventually and then let it go come fall.

I was forgetting that not everyone has cool summers.

I had it once then soon realized my thumbs wouldn’t turn green to keep it from being rotten. Poor thing. Very beautiful while it lasted.

Cyclamen is a house plant that has been known to acclimate to outside during the summer season.