Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

What are these?

nicholamccauleynicholamccauley Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hi all

We’ve recently moved in to a new house and have begun to tackle the garden.

At the front of the house growing, in the gravel are these flat black disk type things. They vary in size and are easy enough to dig out as the roots on the bottom are quite small. Some have curly bits with round balls and when you cut the disk open it looks almost veg like. 

I’ve googled and googled but no joy! Any ideas? 

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    They look like cyclamen corms - lovely plants - if they are

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes cyclamen corms … probably cyclamen hederifolium … replant them … they’ll soon be flowering. The flowers appear first. The leaves come along a few months later. They’re gorgeous. Love them. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    A lovely addition to have.  :)
    Not long until they flower - we often have them in flower at the end of this month, although this pic was from September 


    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    One of mine is already in flower.   :)

    You have a seed pod and flower buds visible on the top one.  The seed pod has a curly stem, and will contain seeds which are often spread by ants, increasing your stock of plants.  They like a shady spot under trees, ideally, in leafy soil.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • nicholamccauleynicholamccauley Posts: 2
    Thank you all. So pleased to find they’ll bloom in to such a lovely flower. There are a considerable number dotted around our shady front garden so I’ll now eagerly await their display.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2021
    After they’ve flowered the seeds swell and as they swell the stems retract like a coiled spring … fascinating. We find the ants spread the seeds about all over the place. When we came here we were thrilled when … a few weeks later … all these little white flowers appeared. A few years later and we have pink ones too, so obviously the bees must’ve found a nearby garden with pink ones in and brought the pollen back.  So pretty … one of my favourite flowers … and when the leaves they are handsome enough to be loved as a foliage plant and work as good ground cover. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think those ones in my pic are the ones you sent me @Dovefromabove ;)

    That's the kind of situation they love @nicholamccauley, so you should get a lovely display. They work well with all sorts of other shade loving perennial plants, including bulbs like snowdrops, so you'll hopefully have those appearing in spring too, after the cyclamen have finished :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Fairygirl said:
    I think those ones in my pic are the ones you sent me @Dovefromabove ;)


    😃 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





Sign In or Register to comment.