Cyclamen 2013

[Maggi Young]

Cyclamen Society Early Spring Show - 9 February- Wisley -  I hope everyone heading to this event tomorrow has a great day.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Thank you, Kris!
Is the dark C. coum a named cultivar?
Gerd

No Gerd , I picked them out in a batch of more then hundred plants ....

[Maggi Young]

Cyclamen Society Early Spring Show - 9 February- Wisley -  I hope everyone heading to this event tomorrow has a great day.

My, a deafening silence - either there has been some catastrophe or perhaps the attendees are still recovering from the excitement .....

[ChrisB]

I first noticed this in 2012, but the leaf is back again this year, so it must belong to a corm I reckon.  Its distinctively different, but is it good or bad?  Not sure whether I should cosset it or throw it out....  your thoughts would be appreciated...

[Denney_m]

Yes Maggi, the Cyclamen Society Wisley Winter Show - and yes, that's the 'official' name (I get slapped wrists when I call it Early Spring ...) - did take place and it was a good day despite the fact that certain notable characters were missing due to the Galanthus Gala.  Entries in the show were a little bit thin due to the strange season but I don't think it would have made much difference if the 'notable characters' had been able to make it.  Even the vast acres of Mr Robertson's Cyclamen alpinum were somewhat reduced with his biggest plants not having made the grade.  In spite of this we welcomed a good number of Wisley visitors to the show - more than we might have expected given the uninspiring weather - and they seemed to enjoy both the show and the 'added value' supplied by an exhibit of emboidery of alpine plants (including some superb Cyclamen), and a display of early woodblock prints and engravings of Cyclamen dating from 1542 to the 19th century.

We were lucky to have Jim Almond to take the show photos and rumour has it that some of them may find themselves on-line in the near future.

Best wishes to all .....
Martyn

[Maggi Young]

To be honest, Martyn, I have to agree that "Early Spring " seems a bit optimistic!
Glad you all had a good day - the "added value" sounds most interesting too. Personally I find such extended connections both enlightening and educational.

It may well be that the fairly grotty weather might have been the exact thing that drew people out to visit - desperate for some floral cheer! It's certainly what accounts for the hectic enthusiasm that exists for the SRGC Early Bulb Day. ( See how canny we are there with the name- just "early" - no arguing with that  )

[KentGardener]

I first noticed this in 2012, but the leaf is back again this year, so it must belong to a corm I reckon.  Its distinctively different, but is it good or bad?  Not sure whether I should cosset it or throw it out....  your thoughts would be appreciated...

I would cosset it if it appeared here Chris.  I always admire different looking leaves and that one looks variegated from the pic.

[Maggi Young]

I first noticed this in 2012, but the leaf is back again this year, so it must belong to a corm I reckon.  Its distinctively different, but is it good or bad?  Not sure whether I should cosset it or throw it out....  your thoughts would be appreciated...

Christine, there are so many self-sown seedlings around the main clump, so your plants are clarly very fertile. So  perhaps the variegated leaf is a baby that has grown in side the inner circle of the mother plant. I wonder if some careful excavation might allow you to discover if there is a baby corm in there - if so, you could extract it to grow on in its own space?

[ChrisB]

I'll take a look and see what I find.  It is definitely the same place as last year, but whether its just part of a corm I don't know.  Next good day we get.... its been stunning here today, planted my newest snowdrop  and a few other things I found at Dunblane....

[Oron Peri]

This coum is from the south most population of the species, located in the Upper Galilee region.
The wild population  counts less then 80 plants.
I have been growing it for the last 8 years and have already quite a number.
It is important first in order  to keep a stock in case this population would extinct, second reason is the potential of this form as it is the only one mange to coop with high temperatures.
In the wild it grows side by side with C. persicum.

[Maggi Young]

This coum is from the south most population of the species, located in the Upper Galilee region.
The wild populations  counts less then 80 plants.
I have been growing it for the last 8 years and have already quite a number.
It is important first in order  to keep a stock in case this population would extinct, second reason is the potential of this form as it is the only one mange to coop with high temperatures.
In the wild it grows side by side with C. persicum.

So worthwhile to be giving this  coum which has such extreme weather tolerance some protection Oron. Hard to imagine how it  has adapted to this heat - so many mysteries in these little plants!

[Oron Peri]

So worthwhile to be giving this  coum which has such extreme weather tolerance some protection Oron. Hard to imagine how it  has adapted to this heat - so many mysteries in these little plants!

Maggie, i find it also fascinating.
A good example for me is C. intaminatum: i have been trying to grow it for the last 12 years, probably sown hundreds of seeds, but they never mature due to the dry, hot conditions.
But out of these hundreds, a single seedling has adapted to these conditions and is thriving in the garden in hot backing sun and so probably this has been the same process with the above.

[Oron Peri]

Some photos taken this morning,

[Mark Griffiths]

Maggie, i find it also fascinating.
A good example for me is C. intaminatum: i have been trying to grow it for the last 12 years, probably sown hundreds of seeds, but they never mature due to the dry, hot conditions.
But out of these hundreds, a single seedling has adapted to these conditions and is thriving in the garden in hot backing sun and so probably this has been the same process with the above.

I'm sure this is the reason why I've had so much better luck with raising my own plants - and the absolute strongest ones are the ones that self sown into the plunge or other plant's pot - there has been some selection already taken place.

Nice C.africanum hybrids - I assume they are C.hederifolium crosses? Just occured to me if anyone has started doing deliberate crosses with things like C.h crassense?

[Oron Peri]

Yes Mark, they are hybrids with hederifolium, confusum and probably crassifolium too, they all grow side by side therefor difficult to say who the parents are.

Here is a selection of some C. persicum leaves. [wild forms]