Both flower when nothing else does, and both can live on for years; the table shows what each asks in return.
Shot to one scale: bloom beside bloom, from our own library.
The verdicts, line by line
Every line below is a field of the open table, not an opinion.
In the vase
Neither carries enough published cut-flower data for an honest vase verdict, so this duel is settled in the garden.
In the garden
Both come back, but not everywhere: cyclamen shrugs off zone 9 winters while christmas cactus tap out below zone 10. On upkeep the table sides with christmas cactus: rated low maintenance against medium.
The full card
A line is marked only where one flower clearly leads. Equal or too-close values are left plain.
| Field | Christmas Cactus | Cyclamen |
|---|---|---|
| Fragrance | Not fragrant | Light; species tag is simply Fragrant, but most modern florist cultivars carry only a weak woody or powdery scent |
| Light | Partial shade / bright indirect light; direct summer sun causes yellowing, some direct winter sun is tolerated | Dappled sunlight to partial shade outdoors; bright indirect light indoors, no hot direct sun |
| Water | Dry to medium; water when the growing medium is dry to the touch, avoid standing water | Medium; consistent moisture while in growth, sharply reduced water during summer dormancy, sensitive to a soggy tuber |
| Hardiness zones | 10 to 12 | 9 to 11 |
| Bloom months | 3 months | 5 months |
| Deer (Rutgers) | not recorded | Seldom severely damaged (Rutgers B) |
| Cats (ASPCA) | Listed non-toxic | Toxic |
We keep one table of 85 flowers, with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself. The full method ↗
Read the full profile
Everything the table holds on each of them, in plain prose.
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