Cyclamen 2018

[Carolyn]

Lovely photo, Mariette.

[Véronique Macrelle]

after research I found here for the Reading method:
soak seeds 1 day in warm water with a drop of dishwashing liquid
 sow on earth + sand (surface or covered?)
maintain at between 14 and 17 ° for a month in the dark.
 when seedling, put back to light in the cold greenhouse?

  I forget nothing ?

if the seeds germinate in 1 month then it motivates me to sow C. intaminatum, purpurescens and hederedolia ( Mariette, your C. hederifolium 'Fairy Rings' is very beautiful, but does it bloom white?) : I do not know why, but all the C. hederefolium I get are white (bought in the shops, association exchanges, sowing, etc.), I dream of one that is very purple!

[Carolyn]

That's correct, Veronique. I do not cover the seeds (but they are placed in a plastic bag, to stop them from drying out) and then I can see when they are germinating. Once they have started to germinate, I cover them carefully with some potting mix and top them with grit and they spend the winter in the unheated greenhouse. I would check hederifolium after 3 weeks - it can start to germinate as soon as this. The Reading Method does not seem to work for purpurascens - it germinates in late spring for me.
For my own seed, I tend to sow in September, but it works well in January too, with seed from the Seed Excchange.

[Véronique Macrelle]

I can already try with mine.
 are the seeds to be harvested how long after flowering? it seems to me that they are stolen by the ants ...

[Carolyn]

You harvest them in summer, when the seed capsules become soft to touch. Keep checking them from early in July. The seeds will be honey coloured at this stage. If you leave them till the capsules burst open, that's when the ants take them (the seeds become darker brown by then). But the unripe seeds can also be stolen by mice or voles, so it is not easy.... You could try tying a net bag over the seed capsule to protect it.
Cyclamen seeds are ripe in July/August, some species are ready before others.
Are you a member of the SRGC? If not, it is worth joining for the seed exchange as there are always lots of cyclamen seeds on the list. e-membership is very cheap and good value, I think it's £11 for a year (correct me if I'm wrong, Maggi).

[Véronique Macrelle]

yes i am at the srgc 
  and I intend to order cyclamen intaminatum, but it will probably be for the 2nd choice,
 because this year I have ga3 to treat my seeds. First choice I intend to order again the seedlings that keep me in check (Trillium, Clematis, Viola, Aconitum ..) to treat all my seeds at the same time.

[Carolyn]

Here is my C. intaminatum fully opened now. Nine months from seed to flower. Very pleasing!

[Véronique Macrelle]

and very motivating!

[Bart]

And then you plant them out into the open garden, and this happens:




 

[Carolyn]

Oh dear, mice/voles? Or pheasants? (I have trouble with all of them)

[David Nicholson]

Cyclamen purpurascens

[David Nicholson]

This was a kind gift from Hans Joschko in 2017, Cyclamen purpurascens forma album. Having read Chris Grey-Wilson's book though this might just qualify as forma carmineolineatum ("flowers white with a narrow carmine zone around the mouth, extending upwards a little along the veins")

[stone]

david, very nice
c. p. plain leaf
green ice
very pink

[stone]

wild seedling from alba
big carmineolineatum

[stone]

pale pink