One of the brightest spots of late autumn and winter gardening must surely be the potted Cyclamen that are on offer as winter bedding and Christmas presents.  This blog post is all about Cyclamen because there is more than one species that we can grow in the UK and not all types suit all uses and spaces.

Cyclamen are native to areas bordering the Mediterranean Sea and round the Black Sea to Iran.  Differences in landscape and particularly mountains result in some species being much more tolerant of cold temperatures than others and having different flowering times.  They grow from a round, flattened tuber that sits half above and half below the ground and produces roots from the sides or base and shoots from the top surface. They spread by seed and for those grown out in the garden you will usually find plenty of seedlings around the parent. Let them establish for a couple of years to develop a small tuber and then they can be transplanted if you want a new cluster or to share with friends.

The Cyclamen used for winter bedding – usually in 9cm pots – and as indoor plants particularly for Christmas is Cyclamen persicum. There is a wide range of colour available right from white through pink and red to deep purple, and some bi-colour too.  This species is native to the eastern Mediterranean – ‘persicum’ means from Persia (modern Iran) and not fully hardy in the UK.  However in south east England they are likely to survive most winters especially in a sheltered spot close to the house wall or with occasional fleecing. After flowering and as spring advances into summer the leaves die off and the tuber remains dormant in the summer. This is a natural method of the plant surviving hot, dry conditions before starting back into growth in the autumn. If you want to keep plants from one year to the next, remove all the dead stems and keep the compost barely moist over the summer before starting to water it again in early autumn and adding a dose of tomato feed (with high potassium) to encourage flowering.

Cyclamen hederifolium is the best known, hardiest and easiest to grow in the UK and well suited to growing in the garden.  The name ‘hederifolium’ means ivy-leaved although the leaves are not actually the same shape as ivy (!) but are attractive in their own right with strong patterning on the top side and red underneath.  They produce pink or white flowers on individual stems up to 15cm tall from late summer through the autumn. Produced after flowering starts, the leaves provide ground over until they die off in spring and the tubers sit dormant through the summer.   Partial shade and not too dry a soil are the best conditions and they naturalise very well, happily spreading by seed.

Cyclamen coum is also hardy and commonly planted in the garden where good drainage in a rich soil is needed for it to thrive and spread.  A similar size to C. hederofolium and also flowering in pink or white, C. coum flowers through the winter so a combination of both can give you almost six months of flowers. If you find hardy Cyclamen in your garden and want to identify which species you have, then the flowering time but also the leaves are your guide.  C. coum has rounded green leaves where C. hederifolium foliage is a pointed heart shape and always patterned.

If you become a veritable Cyclamen enthusiast there are several other species, all with the typical swept back petals.  Many are very small and perhaps a bit more suited to growing in pots with an alpine plant collection.

Happy Gardening from Alison