Mystery Plant

Hi Tracy, you have a Cyclamen, there are 2 types indoor or outdoor, out door Cyclamens are about half the size of the indoor types i would say looking at the pic, yours is outdoor but can't be sure as cant see the size, they are easy just plant in the ground or in pots/tubs in the garden. they are woodland plants so like dappled shade best. i have some recent pic's of these on my garden page if you want to have a look to compair.

Thanks for your help!

That looks very much like Cyclamen persicum which is tender. It needs cool, indirect light and watering from below when the compost begins to dry out and the leaves start to droop. Feed regularly with a liquid feriliser and it will fower for a long time.

Yes, I think it is as well.

Hardy Cyclamen do exceptionally well here in the Pacific Northwest. I have grown five of the following.Nearly all are summer dormant (except purpurascens). One ID is the time of flowering.

The order of flowering begins in August with hederifolium, followed by cilicium, intaminatum, graecum, cyprium, and mirabile. C. coum will begin to bloom soon, usually in mid to late December and continues into March. There are others that follow after, repandum is one of them.

Any person who could supply me with some seed from such specie would be greatly welcomed. I would have much to trade. I used to grow these lovlies, but I quit growing for over ten years.

Even if we have similar species, it is aways good to get fresh sources to diversify the plants we grow. It takes three years, sometimes four to get a bulb large enough to flower. Then I get 2.95 for it. :-)

C. persicum is a spring bloomer and is not hardy, but sometimes can be overwintered asl long as it is brought in for winter. One ID, is with ones nose C. persicum flowers are intensely fragrant, and the petals like what you show are long and twisted

Why not join the Cyclamen Society? They do a seed distribution scheme every year. I can find you the details if you are interested Secateur.

I suppose you are correct Owdboggy.

I used to be a member of the American Rock Garden Society and enjoyed the exposure, but some of the charges are simply outrages. I prefer to exchange seeds with friends. So far, I have been overwhelmed with what I have sown for next year. Thirty flats of cultivar Maple seeds, to begin with. I am running out of small pots.

I do think you should post that Cyclamen Society address so other people could join. They are wonderful plants! One item I grow that never has many leftovers come Summer.

All such groups have great seed lists and even better newletters. They are worth the investment. Sadly, after some major oral surgery (no insurance) I need to be prudent and start to pay off what I had to put on a credit card.

That is what health care is like in America!

Sadly I have had to give up membership of almost all of the Garden societies myself. Used to belong to this, http://www.cyclamen.org as well as the American Rock, the New Zealand Alpine, the BritishColumbian one and some others. Money only stretches so far don't it?

Right on, I guess I was in error. I used to belong to the American Rock Garden Society, I even had a botth when they held their convention in Victoria, B.C. Great People, great information. Prices on seed stock was super reasonable.

Of course you realize that much volunteer labor goes into filling these seed packages. Hand filling 20 seed per packet. Well a speaker at that conference really detailed their efforts and ended her tale (I forgot what seed it was) that the year after they had a few responses from the recipients.
Most of course had happily buried them in their new homes. A few did not. They recognized them to be mouse droppings!

Gosh easy Cyclamen and they are so beautiful I am trying to make a woodland area under my tres filled with these beautys ,the hardy coums.