Gardening constantly moves on ... as has been said on an earlier page, once upon a time there were 'indoor types' and 'outdoor types' ... hybridisation now means that there are quite a few 'new types on the block' ... the ones advertised on this site are said to be hardy down to -2C in dryish conditions https://www.cyclamen.com/en/professional/garden
I imagine that these and similar hybrids may well be the colourful types stocked by supermarkets ... sadly without proper labelling it's difficult to know how to treat them or what to expect.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Indeed @Dovefromabove. I think the best method for choosing is - if it's in a supermarket, it isn't too likely to be hardy enough for most gardens, long term. For reliability, a specialist supplier is the way to go. If they fail for any reason, it's usually a better result too, as you'd often get a replacement or a refund. Even garden centres can sell hardy and non hardy types, so it can be very confusing.
A kind forum member sending some small plants is another good method of getting garden worthy plants....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mine were cheaper than a decent bunch of flowers, so I'm pleased to have got more than a couple of months' display from them. I didn't expect them to be more than just seasonal bedding, but they're still going. I agree if people expect them to be fully hardy like C. coum and C. hederifolium, they could be disappointed.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Yes - I had some last year [ end of 2021 probably] @JennyJ, out of the s'market, just for a little pot of flowers in a spot near the house. As you said, they did survive that winter as we didn't have one, but wouldn't normally manage here. I've done it in the past for a bit of colour during late autumn/early winter. I get a discount in the s'market, so they're even cheaper. I think those ones were reduced too, so it was very little outlay.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Cyclamen persicum come from a range of Middle Eastern habitants, often mountainous. I would not be surprised if UK hardiness was not somewhere in their genes. However, I have not found any.
The small ones can be planted in pots and placed close to the house. They might miss the worst of the weather.
The small ones used to have the best scent. Recently none of the ones I have sniffed have any at all.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Thank all. I avoid outdoor pots if I can..with an exception for mint, lol! My method is to choose plants which suit where I need them, and if they don't well after a few goes I don't buy more - I have a penchant for cyclamen at the moment though. I usually go to a great little nursery but sometimes I'll grab a few cheapies or dying twigs from a shop, quite often they work out really well too! 😊
And as to the size of the corm. I have a friend who had to use a carving knife to trim the edge of a hederfolium to get it to fit into a 19cm diameter plant pot for showing. It regularly had well over 200 flowers on it.
It survived? when I mowed the top off a huge one it rotted away
Plants that suit the site is what it's all about @Slow-worm. Sometimes that can be more difficult than it seems, because the info isn't always there, so you rightly asked the question. It's how we all learn, and this forum has a wealth of knowledge to draw on . Cyclamen can be tricky - there's no doubt about it. It can be hard to distinguish between the foliage unless you've grown all the types for many years. I still have moments when I'm not sure, so I have to check again. Lovely little plants though, especially for that burst of colour in late autumn. I love the spiralling stems when the seeds are about to pop too
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@punkdoc from what I read last night, they can be forced, and if that's the case, it's possibly why they don't come back? I think the one I bought in autumn is a hederifolium, and in flower at a more natural time, it seems happy so far in any case. I will feel rightfully chuffed if it spreads!
Posts
https://www.cyclamen.com/en/professional/garden
I imagine that these and similar hybrids may well be the colourful types stocked by supermarkets ... sadly without proper labelling it's difficult to know how to treat them or what to expect.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I think the best method for choosing is - if it's in a supermarket, it isn't too likely to be hardy enough for most gardens, long term. For reliability, a specialist supplier is the way to go. If they fail for any reason, it's usually a better result too, as you'd often get a replacement or a refund.
Even garden centres can sell hardy and non hardy types, so it can be very confusing.
A kind forum member sending some small plants is another good method of getting garden worthy plants....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I get a discount in the s'market, so they're even cheaper. I think those ones were reduced too, so it was very little outlay.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The small ones can be planted in pots and placed close to the house. They might miss the worst of the weather.
The small ones used to have the best scent. Recently none of the ones I have sniffed have any at all.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I avoid outdoor pots if I can..with an exception for mint, lol! My method is to choose plants which suit where I need them, and if they don't well after a few goes I don't buy more - I have a penchant for cyclamen at the moment though. I usually go to a great little nursery but sometimes I'll grab a few cheapies or dying twigs from a shop, quite often they work out really well too! 😊
In the sticks near Peterborough
Cyclamen can be tricky - there's no doubt about it. It can be hard to distinguish between the foliage unless you've grown all the types for many years. I still have moments when I'm not sure, so I have to check again.
Lovely little plants though, especially for that burst of colour in late autumn. I love the spiralling stems when the seeds are about to pop too
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think the one I bought in autumn is a hederifolium, and in flower at a more natural time, it seems happy so far in any case. I will feel rightfully chuffed if it spreads!