Cyclamen graecum

Cyclamen graecum on a cold, September morning

The temperature this morning reached down into the high 30’s, near freezing, which reminded me that the 30 panes of glass which need replaceing in the greenhouse, was perhaps even more important than painting the new fence, finishing the stone wall, painting our house, and the second house on the property and even writing my book which needs some redesign work on the first chapter according to my publisher on Friday.

All that, and a few other things which I promised to do made this weekend still, busy, and yet, one of those weekends which felt like I got nothing done, other than spending a well-needed rainy Saturday at Ikea, and today, glueing in glass.

The Cyclamen are rushing into bloom with this cool weather. Here are a few shots of some different forms of Cyclamen graecum as they come into bloom. Notice how this seed-raised strain by Cyclamen guru, John Lonsdale, are blooming with very unusual forms of flowers. I am always amazed with C. graecum, perhaps my fav species, because not only is it the first species to blossom of the more tender forms of Cyclamen, but the plant looks attractive for the rest of the season, thanks to a genetic gift of stunning foliage.

Two forms of C. graecum outside, in the morning sun.

White forms of C. graecum are all the rage, or at least they sell-out first on all the mail order lists from the three mailorder nurseries which carry the more unusual species of Cyclamen. As I have said before, it’s always better and more cost effective to raise your own plants from seed, the trick being to obtain fresh seed, since dried old seed is difficult to germinate. I pick seed in June, and pot up in soil, keeping them barely dry until now, in September, when I start watering the Cyclamen again.

Another view of three pots safe on the back porch, where I moved the pots last night, in case we had a frost. It reached near 30, degrees, but no frost.