Cyclamen hederifolium - Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen - Seeds

Description

• Primulaceae Ericales
• Mediterranean rim
• H 15cm x W 30cm
•  Z7 
• Synonyms: Wild Cyclamen, Cyclamen neapolitanum
• 1 packet of 40 seeds
  (mixed color white, pink)

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Detail

Cyclamen hederifolium thrives in humus-rich soils or soils rich in organic matter, in bright spaces but protected from strong sunlight, typically in the woods

Over the years, it grows a large tuber, which can reach 15cm in diameter

At the end of August or the beginning of September, flowers appear in great numbers before the leaves, forming real bouquets which can be particularly dense and spectacular

They are white or pink, lightly scented, and form real carpets in places where the Wild Cyclamen has naturalized and multiplied

Flowering lasts several weeks and is most ornamental

It is followed by leaves, marbled green with darker and lighter patterns, particularly decorative and very variable from one plant to another

Leaves create a cushion of greenery that can be dense

They vaguely resemble ivy leaves, hence the name hederifolium

When late spring heat comes, the Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen goes into vegetative rest and disappears

Small spherical fruits are then visible, attached to the end of a long peduncle curled on itself like a spring

They will eventually release their seeds in July

In the gardens where the Wild Cyclamen thrives, it will multiply little by little and naturalize, offering an increasingly remarkable colorfull show each fall

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Cultivation

Soak the seeds you received overnight in a glass of cold water so that they rehydrate

Then sow in a large pot filled with potting soil, covered by 1 to 2 cm, preferably in summer, but also in autumn

Place this pot outside, in the shade, and make sure the potting soil is always moist but not soggy

Germination takes place in September-October

In the first year, the seedling creates a pea-sized tuber at the base of 1 tiny leaf

The following year, a few leaves emerge from the small tuber, which then start grow bigger

Feed it by watering from time to time with a diluted liquid fertilizer

When the plant goes into vegetative rest at the end of the 2^nd year, the tubers can be dug up and planted in the ground in their final location, 2-5cm deep

The first flowers may appear the fall of transplanting, or more likely the following year

Once in the ground, no maintenance other than a little weeding when necessary

All you have to do is enjoy the show, which repeats each year