Topic: Cyclamen

[wahaj]

Hey,

I've seen loads of different types of cyclamen but they're never labelled to say what's what.

Like there's the non bulbous type right? and they don't last very long. and the ones with the bulbs are perennials.

some are huge...some are tiny....

i've seen cyclamen @ people's houses that have no leaves at all...but a couple of them popping up nearby.

can someone point me in the right direction? i want something i can plant in my garden that has a scent and does well in shade. and obviously i would like it to come back year after year...and preferably the type that doesn't have many leaves.

i'd also like some for my house that have the same properties if poss.

thanks :)

[valmarg]

Hi wahaj,

Of the hardy forms of cyclamen that will grow in the garden, the most common are c. hederifolium and c. coum.  Two other hardy froms are c. cilicium and c. repandum.

C. hederifolium is flowering now, and c. coum will flower January/February.  C. cilicium is flowering now, and c. repandum should flower in early spring.  I only have the three varieties, hederifolium, coum and cilicium.  None of these are scented.  Once naturalised they will self seed, and thrive.

You say you would prefer a type that doesn't have many leaves.  At the moment the c. hederifolium, is flowering, and the leaves are starting to grow.  In a week or two, the flowers will have finished and the area will be carpeted by beautiful silver marked, ivy leaved plants.  I have interplanted with snowdrops, and in spring the cyclamen leaves give a wonderful background to the snowdrops.

As you may have guessed. I'm an absolute sucker for the hardy varieties.  They may not be scented, but they are such beautiful, delicate-looking flowers, which in actual fact are as hardy as old boots.  If they're in a position they like, they will reward you year after year with their blooms, and foliage.

Now, the other lot. The one's that are sold as houseplants.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  They look lovely in the florists, you buy one, take it home.  How do you treat it.  On the windowledge, over the radiator in the lounge. The best way to kill the poor thing.  They may be frost tender, but they do like cool conditions.  The kitchen windowledge is better.

Your description of the 'non-bulbous' types - cyclamen does not spring to mind.  Begonias have fibrous rooted and bulbous types.  All cyclamen, to be a totally pedantic old biddy, are grown from corms.  There are no non-bulbous types (to my knowledge).

I am in the process of sorting out the corms I have, but I will most likely have some c. hederifolium surplus to requirements if you would like some.

I hope the above helps.

valmarg

[wahaj]

Hi wahaj,

Of the hardy forms of cyclamen that will grow in the garden, the most common are c. hederifolium and c. coum.  Two other hardy froms are c. cilicium and c. repandum.

C. hederifolium is flowering now, and c. coum will flower January/February.  C. cilicium is flowering now, and c. repandum should flower in early spring.  I only have the three varieties, hederifolium, coum and cilicium.  None of these are scented.  Once naturalised they will self seed, and thrive.

You say you would prefer a type that doesn't have many leaves.  At the moment the c. hederifolium, is flowering, and the leaves are starting to grow.  In a week or two, the flowers will have finished and the area will be carpeted by beautiful silver marked, ivy leaved plants.  I have interplanted with snowdrops, and in spring the cyclamen leaves give a wonderful background to the snowdrops.

As you may have guessed. I'm an absolute sucker for the hardy varieties.  They may not be scented, but they are such beautiful, delicate-looking flowers, which in actual fact are as hardy as old boots.  If they're in a position they like, they will reward you year after year with their blooms, and foliage.

Now, the other lot. The one's that are sold as houseplants.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  They look lovely in the florists, you buy one, take it home.  How do you treat it.  On the windowledge, over the radiator in the lounge. The best way to kill the poor thing.  They may be frost tender, but they do like cool conditions.  The kitchen windowledge is better.

Your description of the 'non-bulbous' types - cyclamen does not spring to mind.  Begonias have fibrous rooted and bulbous types.  All cyclamen, to be a totally pedantic old biddy, are grown from corms.  There are no non-bulbous types (to my knowledge).

I am in the process of sorting out the corms I have, but I will most likely have some c. hederifolium surplus to requirements if you would like some.

I hope the above helps.

valmarg

wow! thanks very much for the info!

The scent isn't neccesery...it's just that i've read that there's a variety that can fill a room with scent from one bloom.

and thanks for correcting me on the bulbs thing. a friend of mine told me they weren't all bulbs and that's why some of them only lasted 1 season.

and to be honest the leaves thing doesn't matter. i just read somewhere else aswell that leaves normally come after the flowers. it's not a bad thing....because the leaves are very nice....i just liked the effects of leafless flowers lol.

thanks for all the names aswell. even though garden centres never seem to label them, i'll try to familiarise myself wit pictures online :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

All cyclamen have plenty of leaves, and make good ground cover if they're planted thickly, but some flower before the leaves emerge. So, for instance, hederifolium loses its leaves for a couple of months in the heat of the summer. The flowers start to emerge before the leaves, so you get these little patches of flower without a leaf in sight. I remember seeing them under a dedar in the Oxford Botanic Gardens when I was a kid, and being absolutely fascinated.

All of them have bulbs, or more correctly, corms. They're flat disks which sit under the ground out of sight. If they only last one season, they're not getting good treatment, opr maybe they've been forced. Grown correctly, they're long-lived perennials.

[wahaj]

All cyclamen have plenty of leaves, and make good ground cover if they're planted thickly, but some flower before the leaves emerge. So, for instance, hederifolium loses its leaves for a couple of months in the heat of the summer. The flowers start to emerge before the leaves, so you get these little patches of flower without a leaf in sight. I remember seeing them under a dedar in the Oxford Botanic Gardens when I was a kid, and being absolutely fascinated.

All of them have bulbs, or more correctly, corms. They're flat disks which sit under the ground out of sight. If they only last one season, they're not getting good treatment, opr maybe they've been forced. Grown correctly, they're long-lived perennials.

yea....that's what i liked about them....i've seen them growing through rocks....or gravel or bark without any leaves...and it looks beautiful.

i mean with leaves aswell they're stunning....but there's something about leafless flowers. like crocuses...they have very little leaves....and they're sort of look like alpines.

[calendula]

and very easy from seed as well, which is a much cheaper way of getting them  :)

[wahaj]

and very easy from seed as well, which is a much cheaper way of getting them  :)

ahh ok. i've never seen seeds for them though. but then i've never been to one of those huge national garden centres to be able to buy them.

[Kepouros]

As well as the autumn and winter flowering varieties mentioned, there are also C. creticum, C. repandum and C.trochopteranthum - all spring flowering.

As to seed, Thompson & Morgan have both the coum and neapolitanum (heredifolium), as well as a mixture of all the hardy garden varieties covering autumn, winter & spring - all woodland or shade loving.

[valmarg]

Calendula mentions growing cyclamen from seed.  I've just spent a good half hour looking at cyclamen on the Chiltern Seeds site.  They have an enormous range, about 20 varieties.  Not all are fully hardy, and c. persicum is the indoor 'florists' variety.

Quite a few are scented.  I would have to say they are not terribly cheap at anywhere between £2.50 - £3.50-ish for 10 - 15 seeds.  Either way, the site - www.chilternseeds.co.uk is worth a look.

Oh dear, I might be tempted myself for some of the varieties.

valmarg

[wahaj]

lovely thanks for the help guys :)

[laurieuk]

If you buy cycleman seed it is a good idea to put the seed into a jar of luke warm water and give it a really good wash.Do this several times over a couple of days,this Will help remove the natural coating that controls when the seed germinates in natural conditions. When this coating dries in packets it is difficult for the seed to germinate but if partly removed germination is greatly improved. Fresh seed gathered straight from plants germinates very freely.

Calendula mentions growing cyclamen from seed.  I've just spent a good half hour looking at cyclamen on the Chiltern Seeds site.  They have an enormous range, about 20 varieties.  Not all are fully hardy, and c. persicum is the indoor 'florists' variety.

Quite a few are scented.  I would have to say they are not terribly cheap at anywhere between £2.50 - £3.50-ish for 10 - 15 seeds.  Either way, the site - www.chilternseeds.co.uk is worth a look.

Oh dear, I might be tempted myself for some of the varieties.

valmarg

[valmarg]

Thanks laurieuk for that tip.  I have bought cyclamen seeds in the past and have had no luck germinating them.  They have obviously gone into dormancy, and |I have not been able to overcome this.  I think I shall be more than tempted to buy from Chiltern Seeds, and use your tip.  Thanks again.

valmarg