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I have some hardy cyclamen. Originaly bought for winter pots, i planted them out in my alpine bed. They seem to have liked this home, though they have not self seeded (yet). Got some more at the weekend (again for winter pots). the surplus went into the alpine bed again to replace some violas that had got too big.

I suppose someone is going to tell me that an alpine bed (in full sun/well drained soil) is wrong for this type of cyclamen (hederifolium). Its just i feared they would get lost/disturbed too much elsewhere in the garden.  I do intend to try them in the woodland garden, once i have built up my stock a bit.

No, they will grow almost anywhere, All they need is well drained soil, a bit of sun and a bit of rain  and away they go. In the parts of the world where they originate they are found in almost every type of habitat except perhaps deepest sunless shade or the highest alpine peaks.

Well thats good to know Eric, thanks.

I must say they are looking very happy in the alpine bed, so I would've been very surprised to hear they arent supposed to like those conditions. Then again plants can be such fickle things i've noticed

They thrive in the most unlikely of places - I have some rampant clumps underneath a beech hedge and in other datk corners.

I have them all over the place, they just don't seem to care where they are. I've seen them growing happily in full sun, and I've seen them apparently thriving under Japanese knotweed.

There's an article in this month's RHS magazine about naturalized cyclamen planted in a churchyard by a victorian vicar (who'd collected all manner of plants from the wild - tut, tut). He'd used C. hederifolium and C. repandum in different spots, depending upon how shady they were. Talks about the mowing regime they use to allow them to spread.