It is unfortunate that most florists’ cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, are enjoyed as cool season annuals only through winter, and then discarded as they are replaced by spring annuals. They can actually survive as perennials for several years, with white, red, pink or magenta flowers hovering above their marbled rubbery foliage each winter. Foliage typically stay less than six inches deep.
Florists’ cyclamen are probably typically discarded seasonally because, after blooming through winter, they take some time to redirect their resources to adapt to their landscape situations as the weather warms through spring. During that time, they can look rather tired. Shortly after they recover, they defoliate for dormancy through the warmth of summer. Some do not survive the process.
When they regenerate through the following autumn, they are not as uniform as they were when first installed. This is probably not a problem where a few florists’ cyclamen are planted with mixed annuals or perennials that compensate for their irregularities as well as their dormancy through summer. However, it does not work well for the uniform flower beds that they are often installed into.
Tony Tomeo 
We have an amazing cyclamen at the office that I call “Lazarus.” No quite knows how old it is–I have been there 10 years and it was there when I got there. It’s survived 3 boss changes “no, whatever else happens, you can’t move that plant, I tell them) and all of my vacations when no one waters–hence the name Lazarus. It’s gotten aphids, spider mites and scale–occasionally in combination with one another–& it’s still blooming. It is a rare thing.
Karla
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That is very rare, especially for one living inside. Mine survived for many years, and were old before I got there, but they had the advantage of being out in the garden where insects were not a problem, and they could go completely dormant through summer.
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That explains why some here bring their cyclamen indoors during the summer. They like the cooler temperatures of air-conditioned spaces.
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Yes, but they also like a good dormancy. They can certainly survive without dormancy, but they are more likely to get invested with something as houseplants, and then stay infested if they never go dormant.
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That’s interesting. Dormancy’s obviously important for more reasons than I’ve known.
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It is very important to many plants. Some just need the chill to stay on schedule.
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They are normally discarded here because they have to live as permanent houseplants (not always looking good, as you say!). They wouldn’t survive outdoors. It’s sad though, I agree.
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Yes, they deserve so much more. We just planted some at work. When they are done, I would like to put them into a convergence of the landscapes and the forests, where some can survive and sort of look wild, even if totally unnatural.
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http://www.bhutareflowers.com/
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