Cyclamen 2014

[johnstephen29]

Hi fermi yeah I hope I've got them safe, I don't want those pests in the house
attracted by the seeds, the wife would kill me.

[Jacek]

I need advice.

I want to collect as many C. purpurascens seeds as possibble. My plants are only in the garden and none of the seed pods have opened yet. I have already new leaves and flowers. I do not remember the timing pods opened in recent years, but I remember that seeds are stolen immediately.

Should I observe carefully and collect all pods when first is open (that's difficult) or I can do it earlier? Ian suggests in his Bulblog that early collection does not do any harm. Is there any sign that pods are ripe before they open themselves??

[partisangardener]

They become soft short before opening.

[SJW]

Give one or two of the pods a squeeze and they should split open enough for you to see the colour of the seeds. If white they are not quite ready and I'd leave them for a bit longer, but if they are amber in colour, or a darker brown, then I'd harvest. As noted above, the hard pods do start to soften as the seed ripens so that's a good indication.

[Jacek]

Great thanks. Now I go to test their softness.

We've had relatively moist and cool late spring/early summer this year and C. purpurascens looks great. In my area which is prone to drought water seems to be crucial in stimulating early and lush growth of this species. Not the temperature.

[SJW]

A young plant of C. purpurascens with a promising leaf.

[fermi de Sousa]

with a promising leaf.

which one
 
Sorry, couldn't resist it!
It does look good, Steve,
cheers
fermi

[SJW]

which one
 
Sorry, couldn't resist it!
It does look good, Steve,
cheers
fermi

Yes, I could have phrased that better! (Right of centre  ).

[cycnich]

Just returned from the beautiful Greek island of Paxos. The island is a superb place for Cyclamen with 80% of it ideal habitat. The olives here are grown entirely in terraces and retained by old dry stone walls of which there must be hundreds of miles, even the paths through them are walled the same. I doubt there are many tracks or paths on the island that do not support cyclamen. This time of year there is very little in the way of visible growth, just dried up leaves and the evidence of tubers. The one plant we did find with leaves was similar to the dark leaved plants found on Zakynthos. We were able to bring back a fair amount of seed and I am indebted to my wife for finding most of it, while I look in the more obvious places my wife pokes around with a stick at random and always finds more than I do, so this year I am going to add her initial to the collection number something I should have done in the past. There does not seem to be too much threat to the plants from development most of which is new private villas and nothing of any size. It is a great island for walking with a good footpath map and detailed walking guide available, for the first time in many years we did not hire a car, we used the local bus and shank's pony. Attached are a few pictures of the habitat, the obvious regeneration and the few leaves we saw. On the last day we saw a single freshly opened flower on the path to the beach, the date June 30th, one very confused cyclamen hederifolium.

[cycnich]

two more

[johnstephen29]

Great photo's Pat, I'm going to have to make a return trip to Greece to see some for myself if I can persuade the family.

[SJW]

Just returned from the beautiful Greek island of Paxos.

Sounds wonderful, Pat. How do you get there, presumably a ferry from Corfu or the mainland?

[cycnich]

Yes Steve as this was a package holiday you have to endure the hellhole that is corfu airport. You just try to blank it out and look at it as means to an end.

[Melvyn Jope]

Nice photos Pat, looks like it would be good to go there October or November.

[SJW]

Nice photos Pat, looks like it would be good to go there October or November.

Found this photo on google image of a Paxos olive grove in October. Looks like there's cyclamen growing everywhere.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3nbDzNlWQY/Uz52IOu8CwI/AAAAAAAABH4/QC8SFfUtRsw/s1600/PA230044.JPG