The advantage of cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is nonconformity. Bloom begins in autumn when there are not many other flowers to provide color, and continues until spring. Cyclamen then defoliate and go dormant through summer while most other plants enjoy the warm weather. Even their red, pink, white, purple or salmon flowers are inside out, with petals flared back. The flowers can stand as high as six inches, just above the somewhat rubbery foliage. The rounded leaves are mostly dark green with silvery or gray marbling
If used as annuals for one season, cyclamen are uniform enough for bedding. However, if later overplanted with warm season annuals and allowed to stay through summer dormancy, regeneration the following season is variable, with larger and smaller plants, and some that do not survive. As perennials, cyclamen therefore work best in mixed plantings, where variety is not a problem. Cyclamen should be planted with their tubers about halfway above the soil level, and should not be mulched. Soil should be rich and drain well.
Tony Tomeo 
Cyclamens are neat plants for sure. We can’t grow them outside here, though. I remember seeing them in beds when I was in California in 2008. They were really something! Thanks for sharing!
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Well, since they perform through winter, they probably would not be practical there. Their bloom would either be ruined by hard frost, or obscured by snow. They would probably do best in spring and autumn, but not as perennials. They are too expensive for such brief seasons. (Heck, I think they are too expensive even for a longer season here.)
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We can grow them as houseplants for a brief period here. I agree, they are very expensive.
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They are not so easy as houseplants. They tend to rot. I liked growing them as perennials when I was a kid, but have learned to dislike how temporary they are in the real World.
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