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Tim
| | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 03:58 pm EST : |   
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Apart from C. elegans in flower, there isn't really much going on in the glasshouses at the moment. C. purpurascens is in the middle of a second flush, but with fewer flowers than in September.
I've struggled for decent photo material, so here are some random shots, mostly taken today.
The first two shots are interesting because although you can see two different leaf patterns, the leaves do belong to one plant. The first photo shows the commonly seen 'christmas tree' pattern, but in the second photo you can see that the 'christmas tree' pattern is only just visible. I suppose it could be called 'ghosting'. I quite like it. These photos demonstrate that plants often produce a first leaf of the season which is slightly different to those following.
A couple of C. creticum including a very rare silver leaved form.
C. graecum with cabbage-sized leaves.
C. hederifolium seedlings from this year, all from one plant and showing a decent amount of variation.
C. purpurascens flowering at the moment. Still my favourite species...
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Matthias
| | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 04:14 pm EST : |
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Tim, it´s interesting to see how purpurascens behaves differently in the wild and under glass: In wild populations, even in the lower regions there may be one or two flowers in a large colony at this time of the year but there is certainly not a second flush like in your glasshouse. They must be VERY happy under your care!
Matthias
- Southern Germany,
Zone "7"
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Tim
| | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 04:42 pm EST : |
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I should hope they are, Matthias - I spend enough time looking after them! There are lots of growers I've spoken to who don't care for purpurascens, but what's not to like? Foliage on show almost all of the year round (I remove the foliage on my plants during May for better circulation around the seed pods and for show purposes), and flowers from August right the way through to Feb/March the following year.
I think a lot of growers struggle to grow purpuracens well, and that might have something to do with why it's not so popular. After all, it needs to be treated a little differently to most cyclamen species. I do OK with parviflorum in pots and this species also needs more moisture than most cyclamen species throughout the year.
Plants in the garden seem to put on a small second flush too. Could it be because our change from autumn through to winter is normally long and drawn out?
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 05:14 pm EST : |
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How I wish I would be getting a second flush of flowers, I love the scent.
Do you grow them in the same type soil or do you add anything to keep it moister? I was very lucky with my first try on purpurascens but last year and this year they have not germinated as well as I remember. I am holding onto the pots to see if I can get a bit more germination. I find it so far my easiest to grow once germination takes place. It does appear to be very happy in my garden.
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Carol23
| | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 08:58 pm EST : |
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Tim, I can't say my purpurascens had any second flush at all! Your plants are gorgeous!
The creticum foliage really appeals to me.
The graecum leaf is enormous. That pot must take up extra space.
Carol23
- Southeastern PA,
Zone "6B"
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Tim
| | Posted on Sunday, November 26, 2006 - 02:55 pm EST : |
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Terry, I don't make any effort generally to adapt the mix for my purpurascens, although I am always experimenting with different mixes and ingredients for those mixes. I do keep the plants more moist than everything else apart from parviflorum throughout the year though.
I am a fan of creticum too, Carol. It's a challenge to get really floriferous plants in pots though I think. At least it is for me! My plants only set a decent amount of seeds if they are kept outside too. Keeping them under glass is a waste of time here. The scent of a creticum flower is superb and it's a species I wouldn't be without. One day I'll get a patch going in the garden...
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Berthold
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 06:31 am EST : |
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no silver at all is acceptable also:
Berthold
- NRW, Germany,
Zone "8a"
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Carol23
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 07:21 am EST : |
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Berthold, that leaf shape is spectacular! It reminds me of leaf from a woody plant.
Carol23
- Southeastern PA,
Zone "6B"
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Tony_willis
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 10:32 am EST : |
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heres my offering taken at 3pm just as it was going dark. Apart from these two it is difficult to beleive but I have a C. pseudibericum opening
cyclamen persicum from cyprus which has been out for four weeks with the first flowers just going over
a leaf
and a flower
also cyclamen cyprium showing its leaves
and flowers with a fantastic scent
Tony_willis
- Lancashire,
Zone "7"
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Geoforce
My Weather
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 11:20 am EST : |
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Beautiful photos Tony. The persicum is so very much more graceful than the florists' offerings we see.
Also as to the cyprium, I am developing a major love affair for those plants with the 'spilt-milk' or spattered-paint' look to their leaves, and the small nubbins (do they have a name?) on the lip of the flower seem very pronounced here.
Geoforce
- Pennsylvania,
Zone "USDA 7a"
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Tim
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 12:35 pm EST : |
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George, they are called auricles. If you like the spattered-paint effect, you will like C. rhodium peloponnesiacum I think.
Berthold, I agree. I am always pleased to see a plain green leaved form of any cyclamen species and your creticum is very attractive. That is an unusual shape too - do you know the source?
Tony, it is very early to have pseudibericum in flower!? I am interested in that persicum you have in flower too. Does it consistently flower at this time? There is C. persicum var. autumnale but that originates from Israel. The cyprium leaf is outstanding in my opinion. Do the offspring look anything like the parent?
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Halina
My Weather
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 01:35 pm EST : |
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Tim, is this the right time to start C. purpurascens from seeds? I just acquired some from Seneca Hill Perennials. I have a cool basement and I can make it dark too. I already started c. cilicum and the question is whether I can start c. purpurascens as they are so different than other species and also germinate for a long time. Please, let me know. I know I have a long way for my plants to look like yours.
Halina
Halina
- Maryland,
Zone "7a"
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Tim
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 02:22 pm EST : |
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Hello Halina. Welcome to the forum. Now is a very good time to start C. purpurascens from seed.
My best germination rates of purpurascens have been from sowings at around this time of the year. Sowing now seems to produce moe seedlings together (next spring) rather than the erratic germination one gets if purpurascens seeds are sown in June or July.
What species are you growing, Halina? Do you have mature plants?
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Tony_willis
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 03:59 pm EST : |
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Tim,
I know the pseudibericum is about four months early which is why I mentioned it,an odd season.
As to the persicum,I collected the seed in Cyprus in 1996 and it always flowers about this time.I have another one from the same collection about to open.Perhaps lots do all over the southern Mediterranean but nobody goes there and sees them.
I like the Cyprium leaves which are a lovely dark olive green.Yes they come the same from seed.It is a seedling of my original collection some years ago.I have another tray of seedlings from last years wild collection of seed just into growth.I will photograph it when they get a bit larger,but they are looking similar
Tony_willis
- Lancashire,
Zone "7"
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 04:54 pm EST : |
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Welcome to Gardenbuddies Helena. I see you are interested in crocus too. Between Tim and Tony you will be happy you have joined gardenbuddies. Check out Tony's posts in the bulb forum, you will be hooked on these too.
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 - 11:17 pm EST : |
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I got to take a look at your photos again Tony and the markings on your cyclamen cyprium are so unusual. I believe I have some of these seedlings, I will be happy if they look anything like that. Do all the flowers have a scent with this species? An added bonus always in my book.
The leaf pattern on the cyclamen persicum from cyprus is a nice one two.
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Halina
My Weather
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 12:34 pm EST : |
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Tim , thank you for your info and words of welcome. It all started few months ago when I've read a chapter about cyclamen by Nancy Goodwin in the book titled "My favorite plant" and also stumbled by accident on your Web site while browsing the Web which was about the same time. Except for orchids I don't remember beeing smitten with a plant like I have been with cyclamen.
Shortly afterwards I acquired Christopher Grey- Wilson's book and 3 tubers of very desiccated C. cilicum, coum and hederifolium were shipped to me from Turkey. At the end of September I planted them outside. C. coum is not doing anything, just sitting there, but others are blooming, not profusely but still it surprises me considering the fact that they came to me as hard as rock.
I don't seem to shake off the vision of sea of fields of cyclamen growing in my backyard, pretty much like those shown in the pictures taken by David at RHS Wisley in 2004 thread.
So, two weeks ago I started growing c. coum, hederifolium, cilicum from seeds and now I will start c. purpurascens, thanks to your encouragement. Do you think it's a good idea to start them (I have 90 seeds or so) using the method described in Grey-Wilson's book when instead of sowing them in a mix you can place them on a wet towel in a container and as soon as they develope cotyledon they can be transplanted and potted on soil?
I also have cyclamen persicum in the house that looks like a wild form and it is setting seeds. I sure hope that cyclamen is not going to be my another addiction like orchids are.
Halina
- Maryland,
Zone "7a"
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Tim
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 01:46 pm EST : |
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Sounds like you are already there, Halina...
I prefer to sow in a peat based mix and would do that if I were you. It's a tried and tested method - my opinion is this: if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it.
David's photos of the coum bed at RHS Wisley were an inspiration to many people on the site. Unfortunately that bed looks nothing like that now, with far fewer plants there. I don't know if crowding was/is the problem, or if the squirrels have had the tubers. Still something to aspire to though.
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Berthold
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 01:48 pm EST : |
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Halina, if you want to grow Cyclamen you should increase your favorite seasons.
Berthold
- NRW, Germany,
Zone "8a"
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Tony_willis
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 02:32 pm EST : |
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Hi Terry and welcome Halina
the C cyprium all smell wonderful but what i have noticed is that like a lot of flowers they are stronger at certain times in the day.It must be to do with when their pollinators are about in the wild.
I am pleased with the persicum leaves and have raised some seedlings from it,which are nice but not as good.i have some new persicum from my last visit but these are not upto flowering yet and I cannot tell how good the leaves will be.
Tony_willis
- Lancashire,
Zone "7"
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