Cyclamen shooters

When I placed a late summer order with the excellent Avant Gardens in Dartmouth, Massachusetts in 2018, they included a Cyclamen purpurescens as a gift. It was a delightful surprise as I'd been curious to try Cyclamen but was a little hesitant to take the plunge. That plant settled in beautifully and encouraged me to try more. They've even seeded around a bit. Of course, in a location that makes it extremely difficult to safely move the plant elsewhere. C. purpurescens 'pewter leaf' is growing under bricks that edge one of the gravel paths. 

This year I decided to try C. hederifolium, ivy-leafed Cyclamen, They did well for their first year in my garden; given it was a very hot and dry season for us. This year I also finally discovered the marvelous twisted stems of the Cyclamen are not holding flower buds. 

Those are seeds ready to be scattered into the wider world when the pods split open. 

These twisted stems with their precious seed pods are one more reason to love this little charmer. They make the plant just as interesting as when it's in bloom. 

Comments

[Kris P]

Their foliage is even better than their flowers - and you know I don't say something like that often! I have a few hybrid plants in a pot but regrettably they haven't done well when planted in the ground in my climate.

[danger garden]

Those curls are one of my favorite things about cyclamen! After a couple of failed attempts to grow this plant in my back garden, I finally got smart last year and planted it out front (I previously assumed too much sun there). Success!

[Linda Brazill]

DANGER — One group of mine gets a more sun than the other but both are planted in a gravel garden as you can see. I figured that would be similar to tree and shrub roots which are a typical spot to plant them. 

[Beth@PlantPostings]

That's exciting! I've never tried hardy Cyclamen. Your placing them near bricks and gravel makes sense to keep them warmer, too. Lovely plants.