Cyclamen...another passion
 

I have a number of plant 'collections', mostly outdoor hardy plants, especially alpines. However, in the cold greenhouse (kept just above freezing) I grow a number of Cyclamen species. Depending on the species, I have blooms from August till May..helps me get through the winter months (along with the orchids :) ). I have several winter-spring bloomers coming into bud. Only one is currently open. This is a pic of C. intaminatum, perhaps the smallest flowered species of all the cyclamen.

That's such a pretty bloom...this species is new to me. What type of enviroment attracts this little guy....well like dahhhhh just above freezing...:dumb:

You're able to make these things survive, what's your secret? I had hardy cyclamen, but the squirrels dug them all up.

This species can survive to about -10 C I think but since Newfoundland can get colder I keep it inside. The plant will stay leafy until the greenhouse starts to get warm...about May or June. I then leave them (pretty much all the non-hardy cyclamen) bone dry until about September. I then place them outdoors to get the fall rains then bring them in the cold greenhouse before we get hard frosts (early November). Intaminatum can start to bloom in October and continue through early winter.

Outdoors I have hederifolium and purpurascens. Both grow in part shade. I invert a plastic pot over them in winter to keep the crown and leaves dry. The plants freeze solid but the pots prevent the leaves from becoming too descicated should we have cold winds with no snow cover. If snow was guaranteed, I would just leave them be. Coum can survive here as well but they bloom so darn early that late frosts kill the flowers so I grow them inside as well. They are about to flower in the next week or two.

Well done, Todd :clap:
Very pretty plant :D