Cyclamen cyprium

CYPRUS CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen cyprium
CYPRUS CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen cyprium is a stunner for flower, foliage and perfume.
Needless to say – it is a native of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Where it creates fragrant carpets of flowers in late autumn and into winter.

Enchanting windswept flowers with magenta snouts 

The blooms of Cyclamen cyprium are especially lovely, because they throw their petals way back, as if leaning into a fierce wind blowing their ears back.
While the snouts of the flowers are delicately marked with carmine-pink, as if they have been snuffling into an ink bottle.

Sweet winter scent

But you can usually smell the flowers before you see them – because like many cold weather blooming plants – they have a bewitching, sweet perfume.
No wonder the people of Cyprus have it as the national flower emblem.

Silver laced foliage

Cyclamen cyprium also puts on a dazzling display with an array of large, silver laced leaves.
With each plant flaunting a different, intricate silver laced pattern, and each leaf backed with deep, royal purple.
So it brightens up some the gloomiest, shaded parts of the garden for months, even when it is not in flower.

Perfect for gardeners with limited summer water

Then the whole outfit disappears away to the corm during summer, to wait out the heat and dry, tucked in amongst the roots of trees and shrubs.
Until coming back on duty with those lovely scented white flowers next autumn or winter, when the rains come.
So it prefers to be dry and shaded over summer.

Perfect for gardeners with large trees & shrubs

Cyclamen cyprium makes a perfect groundcover plant for gardeners with limited supplies of water in summer, and competition for water from trees and shrubs.
Because it is so very hardy and well adapted to hot summer climates, as a native of woodlands across the windswept, summer scorched island of Cyprus. 

Detested by rabbits & deer resistant

Fortunately bunnies really don’t like the taste of Cyclamen; while deer place them very low on their menu selection.

Decorates under trees & shrubs for months

Plant in Shade under trees and shrubs.
Where it is highly valued as a ground cover.
Because of  its ability to tolerate long summer dry periods and heat.
And because it happily self seeds new corms each year, to colonize the dry shade.

8cm. High in sweetly scented bloom x 8cm Wide of silver spangled foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Cyclamen cyprium seeds are best sown late autumn, winter or early spring.

First soak seeds in warm water with a little detergent for 24 hours, then rinse thoroughly in fresh water before sowing.

Now sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then lightly cover the seeds with sieved mix or fine gravel to a depth equal to the diameter of the seeds.

Now thoroughly moisten the sown punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath so the moisture percolates up to the surface from below.
Then cover the punnet with a dark lid, such as a piece of cardboard or black plastic.
Cyclamen seeds germinate better in the dark.

Continue to keep moist & dark at approx. 10-16C. for rapid germination.

Most seed should germinate in 28-42 days, but some may be longer – so do not discard punnet.
It is a natural process for the seed to germinate at different times, as a cunning trick by the plant to give the seed a sporting chance to germinate into a good period of weather.

A pretend winter helps

Better germination can often be obtained by giving the Cyclamen seeds a “pretend winter”.
So after sowing the seeds, keep them in the dark at around 10-16C for 2-4 weeks.
Then cling wrap the moist, sown punnet and place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.
After this chilling, the punnet should be removed to cool, dark conditions at around 10-16C for germination. Higher temperatures are not beneficial.

Seed Count: 2 seeds per pack (Seed of this rare variety is very limited this year).

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