There is not a garden centre in the country that does not have stock of this excellent, eye-catching flower for sale, such is the popularity of this relatively new plant. It is of great appeal to home-owners because of its free-flowering growth and colour and it has become a favourite for window boxes and pots in public spaces, such as hotels and offices.
There have been cyclamen species and cultivars of various kinds available before, but those were large-flowered kinds, not fully hardy, bred from the tender indoors species.
These new hybrids have set a new level of success and ease of growth. The colours are various shades of red, pink and white, often sweetly fragrant and carried over silver-marbled leaves. The marbled leaves are remarkably beautiful long before the flowers open.
No two plants have the marbling to the same extent, some carry very little silver colour and all the leaves show varied markings and flowering better than most recent years, pale pink-purple or white.
It flowers from mid-August to October. There are also spring-flowering species in this hardy group, the most popular of which is Cyclamen coum, flowering from January to March with small rounded purple flowers on a short stem.
The other well-known cyclamen group is the florist’s cyclamen, or Persian cyclamen, mentioned, grown as a pot plant for indoor use. It has the largest flowers, sometimes 5cm long, several times bigger than the hardy species.
This plant can take very little cold outdoors without flopping about. For the new hybrids, commercial breeders have combined the hardiness of the smaller species with the large flowers of the florist’s cyclamen.
The flowers of the mini-cyclamen are bigger than the hardy species, not as big as the indoor kind, but they are tough and perfectly formed, the flower stems standing straight upright, ideal for contrast with the nodding flowers.
These new hardy mini-cyclamen are in flower now and showing plenty of buds still to open. They will continue to grow into late autumn and winter and will open flowers even in winter following spells of mild weather.
Like the parent species, these mini-cyclamen produce a round flat tuber at soil level. This can reach 10-15cm across and acts as a storage organ for the plants going into winter. The plants are quite robust and, unlike most bedding flowers which are thrown out after use, the mini-cyclamen can be used again if potted in a very airy compost mix.
The tubers can be left in containers if these are not needed for summer use, or they can be potted up after flowering, even planted out in the open ground or planted on a rockery. They can be used in flower beds and borders to give some early winter colour too and will flower again.
They can even be used as house plants while the flowers are present, kept in a bright window with watering to keep them jut moist not wet, as cyclamen is soft and rots easily.
If you have not got around to planting spring-bedding plants, there is still time, just about. Spring bedding such as wallflowers, polyanthus, forget-me-nots, double daisies and pansies settle in best when planted before the soil temperatures decline as it gives them a chance to establish new roots in their new position, but they can still be planted.
These plants will take advantage of whatever mild weather there is in November and early December to take root and will still perform well next spring. If there are pots and window boxes with withered summer bedding, these can be planted up now with spring-bedding plants and a few spring bulbs, especially tulips and crocuses for spring colour.
In the open ground, the same plants can be used and wallflowers come into their own. These are very resilient, even when late planted and will still make a worthwhile show next April and May. Besides, wallflowers are quite cheap to buy and easy to plant. The quality of the wallflower plants matters more when late-planted because they will not have much time to make up growth. Small plants put in during early October will furnish themselves with extra shoots but late-planted plants must already be bushy and large to have much impact.
Flowers
Spring bulbs should be in the ground by now but should be planted if not. Alliums and tulips react less badly to later planting. Bedding plants for spring colour should be put in now, if not already done. Lift dahlias, begonias and gladiolus in frosty localities to prevent damage, or cover them with soil in milder areas.
Lawn
Lawn mosskiller can still be used. The moss will grow strong until early May and can have built up to damaging levels. Occasional mowing in winter is a good idea if the soil is not too wet. Grass tends to grow a little over winter and an occasional mowing will keep it right. It leaves it looking neat and tidy, and trim edges too.
Trees, shrubs and roses
Planting of bare-root deciduous trees, hedging and shrubs can continue during dry weather. Do not plant into wet ground or into planting holes that fill with water, because the wet conditions cause the roots to rot. All kinds of pot-grown trees and shrubs can also be planted, of course, and taller plants will need a stake to prevent wind damage.
Greenhouse and house plants
Set up a greenhouse frost protection heater to protect tender plants, such as geraniums or fuchsias. Tidy up pots and clear out all snails as they can be active in the warmth of a greenhouse. Remove all debris and dead plants and ventilate occasionally. Water very little to reduce the risk of grey mould disease.
Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Store root vegetables that have not already been harvested. Plant new fruit trees and bushes. Dig over vegetable ground, removing old crops. Control weeds over areas of ground that will be dug over later. Spread compost before digging in if the ground is not too wet. And even a light layer of garden compost is hugely beneficial.