Meanwhile, over at Barry’s garden…. acres of cyclamen, each plant unique, are continuing to unfurl from dormancy to charm us with their unusual leaf patterns and delicate flower stems.
Yes, all of that fuzziness in the background are dozens of tiny pots of unusual cyclamen — all grown from seed! Barry explained that they are on their forth winter, which I thought showed quite a big commitment and dedication. Can you imagine the work involved in seeding all of those pots and then taking each plant through their growing and dormancy seasons for four years running? And let me tell you they are all healthy and near-perfect. Every single one.
But according to Barry, each year has offered some new stage of development in the tiny plants that has held his interest and excitement through to the next.
Dear god, I think I might be getting into cyclamen now. But what plant genus isn’t worth getting excited about, really? They all have their merits on some level. And to top it off, it’s hard not to catch Barry’s contagious enthusiasm for his plants. Thankfully I can live out this particular interest vicariously through Barry’s hard work. No need to bemoan the fact that I do not have the space and skill (or patience) myself.
Growing that many cyclamen is certainly a labor of love. I read the instructions on a seed packet once and decided starting them from seed wasn’t for me.
Hello,
I do like Cyclamen, but have not raised any before. I love discovering that I actually “like” a plant that before, I barely considered.
Cyclamen are the only plants I have not been able to keep alive once I brought it home from the nursery. I’m pretty jealous that he’s been able to grow so many and keep them a live and healthy for four years. amazing.
I love this picture!!
Having seen this particular “acreage” I’m equally impressed, both with Barry’s dedication and with the lovely leaves and delicate flowers on the cyclamen. [Typing this gets me wondering about the plural form. Would one be a cyclam*a*n? ;^) ] I’d love to have all those cyclamen… but can Barry start them for me first, and I also have his greenhouse. Please?
Well Helen, you know they are hardy, so you don’t need
a greenhouse. In fact I’ve planted some outside in the garden this year, and so far they look excellent. Let’s see how they get through the winter. They are best planted out in August when they are coming out of dormancy. I’ll put a couple aside for you for 2010.
I am currently sitting next to a lovely potted pink Cyclamen plant…it makes for wonderful company!
GartenGrl
That is very cool indeed! I have 2 of the regular type of cyclamen, one is over 14 years old, and the other is younger – maybe 8 years old and self-seeded.
I got them both practically as seedlings, and those tend to be easier to keep alive.