Hardy cyclamen

[Martyn Denney]

This sounds the sort of debate that happens on Cyclamen-L! (http://group
s.yahoo.com/group/Cyclamen-L)
There are 21 species of Cyclamen, and as with any other genus, they
don't all like the same growing conditions.  The key to much of it is of
course their natural habitat, and this can vary from an alpine
environment (C. parviflorum), through rocky mountainsides, to those that
are true woodlanders such as C. purpurascens.  In between, there are the
bulk of the species which are happy growing in rocky ground or scree and
will venture into light woodland or become chasmophytic, growing in
pockets in limestone rocks and pavements (C. graecum).

The most common garden species such as C. coum and C. hederifolium are
generally very accommodating and will tolerate a wide range of growing
conditions with the one definite exception of the lethal combination of
very wet and very cold.  Both are bone hardy - especially hederifolium -
and will survive -10 or -15c, but not if they are also very wet - by
which I mean more waterlogged, not merely damp.
In woodland, they should both thrive provided the layer of fresh leaves
does not become so thick that it cuts all light and moisture.

More information is available on the Cyclamen Society web site.  I
apologise if anyone is offended by what amounts to an advertisement.

Martyn Denney
Honorary Secretary
Cyclamen Society
email: webmaster at cyclamen.org
Web Site: http://www.cyclamen.org
Cyclamen-L: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cyclamen-L
In message <016b01c29ed2$a3ae38e0$c3dc07c6 at munchkin>, Gene Bush
<genebush at OTHERSIDE.COM> writes
>Hello Lotte,
>    Think it is amazing... one says never allow leaves to accumulate on
>their cyclamen, another says who cares, just brush them off to see the
>flowers better.... there usually ends up being as many answers in gardening
>as there are gardeners. Especially when one gets answers from almost around
>the temperate world. Amazing and quite fascinating.
>    Gene E. Bush
>Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
>www.munchkinnursery.com
>genebush at munchkinnursery.com
>Zone 6/5  Southern Indiana
>----- Original Message -----
>> I have been growing cyclamen hederifolium for at least five years - they
>> come up faithfully every autumn, barely visible under the leaves that
>cover
>> them.  I just brush a few leaves off to get a better view of the flowers
>but
>> leave most of them to decompose naturally without any problems (I do admit
>> to being a lazy gardener).
>> Lotte Hedges
>> Just outside Cambridge, Ontario Canada
>> Zone 5b (Canadian).
>>

Martyn Denney