Hello Danny

In article ,
danny22 wrote:

After spending four quid buying a cyclamen from b&q in the morning, a
colleague from work came in with a tray of six of them in the afternoon
and said b&q were throwing them out because they were starting to fade.
so she gave me another one to add to the one i had bought.

admittedly they did look pretty rough, but im a sucker for a plant in
distress, and i like to make them well again. i know their flowering
season is almost over, but i have read that once it ends, the tubers
stay dormant for a few months, then start to sprout again as the
weather turns cooler. is this true? i hope so, because despite the
fact they now look pretty shabby, i like them when in full bloom! does
anyone have any experience with them and how to care for them in
blooming and dormant seasons?

First point crudely there are 2 groups of cyclamen :-

The large flowered ones which are not hardy and need a protected environment

The small flowered ones which are pretty hardy and may even survive outdoors
in sheltered spots.

So if you are prepared to provide an untidy plant of the large flowered type
with a frost free home, and can remember to water it occasionally as it dies
back then you will end up with a good corm you can grow next year. With the
correct conditions you can repeat this with the plant getting bigger and
having more flowers each year. A friend of mine has one with a 10" diameter
corm at least 12 years old.

However one warning Vine weavil grubs love eating the corms.

John


many thanks! I'm new to the site, and new to all manners of gardening,
but a lot of people have been really helpful and answered my questions
really well, so thanks if anyone can help me here too! i promise i'll
find my feet eventually

danny

--
John Rye
Hadleigh IPSWICH England
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/jrye/index.html
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