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?

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

"danny22" wrote in message
...

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?

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

My wife is the gardener, but she planted some in the bed and they have over
a period of time spread to the gravel bed and are 'almost' a weed now.

She explained to me that the method of self propagation is that the flower
bends over and drops the seed straight in the ground, therefore these plants
must have leaned over the edge of the garden to drop their seeds :-)

Care? None at all, they did it by themselves!!!!!

Someone will now correct me :-(

Mike


--
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'THE' Association to find your ex-Greenie mess mates.
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After a lot of trouble www.nsrafa.org is now up and running for the National
Service RAF man

In article ,
says...


"danny22" wrote in message
...

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?

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

My wife is the gardener, but she planted some in the bed and they have over
a period of time spread to the gravel bed and are 'almost' a weed now.

She explained to me that the method of self propagation is that the flower
bends over and drops the seed straight in the ground, therefore these plants
must have leaned over the edge of the garden to drop their seeds :-)

Care? None at all, they did it by themselves!!!!!

Someone will now correct me :-(

Mike



Would only add that it rather depends on the species, some are completely
hardy C. hederefolium (autumn) C. coum (spring) but C persica with large
flowers is more tricky and will only succeed outside if our winters
remain this mild. The seed is often dispersed by ants who like the sticky
goo surrounding them, as mike says they are an easy thing to grow, easier
outside than in in many ways!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article ,
"'Mike'" writes:
| "danny22" wrote in message
| ...
|
| 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.
|
| My wife is the gardener, but she planted some in the bed and they have over
| a period of time spread to the gravel bed and are 'almost' a weed now.
|
| She explained to me that the method of self propagation is that the flower
| bends over and drops the seed straight in the ground, therefore these plants
| must have leaned over the edge of the garden to drop their seeds :-)
|
| Care? None at all, they did it by themselves!!!!!
|
| Someone will now correct me :-(

Only somewhat. Yes, that is correct, but the cyclamen that will
naturalise themselves are the hardier ones - C. coum, C. hederifolium
etc. - and the ones normally sold in the supermarkets are tender
strains of C. persicum. The latter will grow quite happily outside
in summer, but certainly won't take a Cambridge winter, and I doubt
they will even take an IOW one. C. coum couldn't care less about
moderate frost, as long as it is in a dry location.

So "danny22" needs to treat them as moderately tender pot plants, and
not plant them outside.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

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
--- On Line using an Acorn StrongArm RiscPC ---

In article ,
John Rye writes:
|
| First point crudely there are 2 groups of cyclamen :-
|
| The large flowered ones which are not hardy and need a protected environment

Yes. The species of C. persicum isn't as tender as the large flowered
hybrids, some of which seem to give up as soon as the temperature gets
close to freezing.

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

It's actually more that they require protection from winter wet.
C. coum can take -15 Celsius, to my certain knowledge, in the rain
shadow of a conifer. C. hederifolium is supposed to be comparable
to C. coum.

I don't know it, but the native one (C. europaeum, sowbread) may
well be more damp-resistant but perhaps less hardy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
John Rye writes:
|
| First point crudely there are 2 groups of cyclamen :-
|
| The large flowered ones which are not hardy and need a protected environment

Yes. The species of C. persicum isn't as tender as the large flowered
hybrids, some of which seem to give up as soon as the temperature gets
close to freezing.

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

It's actually more that they require protection from winter wet.

That seems more logical. Mine seem to have positively enjoyed a north
facing aspect in troughs and baskets. Question is, what to do with them
over the summer given that I have to move them somewhere

C. coum can take -15 Celsius, to my certain knowledge, in the rain
shadow of a conifer. C. hederifolium is supposed to be comparable
to C. coum.



I don't know it, but the native one (C. europaeum, sowbread) may
well be more damp-resistant but perhaps less hardy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Stuart Noble writes:
|
| | The small flowered ones which are pretty hardy and may even survive outdoors
| | in sheltered spots.
|
| It's actually more that they require protection from winter wet.
|
| That seems more logical. Mine seem to have positively enjoyed a north
| facing aspect in troughs and baskets. Question is, what to do with them
| over the summer given that I have to move them somewhere

Put them somewhere dry. They will wake up in the autumn when dampened
again. My C. coum are in the rain shadow of the house, and are dormant
in summer - and in hard winters.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Stuart Noble writes:
|
| | The small flowered ones which are pretty hardy and may even survive outdoors
| | in sheltered spots.
|
| It's actually more that they require protection from winter wet.
|
| That seems more logical. Mine seem to have positively enjoyed a north
| facing aspect in troughs and baskets. Question is, what to do with them
| over the summer given that I have to move them somewhere

Put them somewhere dry. They will wake up in the autumn when dampened
again. My C. coum are in the rain shadow of the house, and are dormant
in summer - and in hard winters.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks. I'll give that a try this year.