In the garden during early Spring, it's the first flowers that claim our attention. With spring on hold here in Somerset, and gales and heavy rain taking their toll, this little pale pink cyclamen with darker outer edges, is the one that is bringing up the rear of the cyclamen coum season. It is from one of my recent plantings and has very attractive round pewter coloured leaves. Those leaves are not featured here as I am leaving the corm to bulk up and hopefully feed the few remaining fertilised flowers.
The four leaves are indeed cyclamen but from entirely different ones which will flower in the autumn. These are from Cyclamen hederifolium. I love these cyclamen almost more for their lovely leaves.......
Borrowed from the library this book on Cyclamen has been with me for a few weeks, and now returned. This is a book for the enthusiast...and given my limited space, or glasshouse for cultivating those that need a warmer drier atmosphere, I shall leave the rare copies available for students, botanists and serious collectors.
Another enjoyable read over the last few days has been The Keeper of Lost Things, which Cathy recommended a few weeks ago. Cathy, as regular readers will know, is our leader in this weekly post, and as well as unfailing posting something from her garden, gathers in the comments links to posts from everyone who want to contribute. This week she has some special blooms.
I really enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan....and others must be eagerly waiting for borrow it. I had finished the book, but as it was too dire to walk out to the library to renew, I tried to renew on line, but it was already reserved for someone else. In the end, the walk and a good blow in the fresh air was quite pleasant.
As well as flowers, plants and vases, I have really enjoyed receiving recommendations for books. Should you wish to leave a comment, how about mentioning a recent enjoyable read.
Cyclamen are a a delight for both foliage and flower. Sorry to hear about your gales and heavy rain. Hopefully gentler conditions will return soon.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed the book, Noelle - and that copy has such a pretty cover, something you don't get when it is an ebook! My current backlog are all non-fiction, I think. Oh, did I mention A Man Called Ove, recommended by Sam of a Coastal Plot? But back to IAVOM - your cyclamen blooms are such a lovely paler shade of pink and the all-silver C herifolium leaves are stunning! I have earmarked a more tender cyclamen that I saw at Cambridge Bot Gdns to acquire for the Coop
ReplyDeleteCyclamen doesn't hold up well in my climate but I do love the flowers and foliage so I'm trying to grow some in my shade house. I enjoyed Ruth Hogan's book too, as well as the Gail Honeyman novel you recommended some time ago.
ReplyDeleteYou grow such fabulous plants, missing out on cyclamen is not such a terrible thing. Have you seen below that Annette and Cathy have recommended more books!
DeleteHi Noelle, I love cyclamen too and I'm thrilled to see how the ants spread them in the garden, so hopefully one day there'll be a nice carpet. They're so tough and don't mind the drought. Just planted some more in my new winter garden and the foliage differed greatly between them. Wrote the book title down and shall check it out. Happy spring days :)
ReplyDeleteI agree they are lovely in the garden, and in many settings. In my previous garden they had found good places in my gravel garden, which shone with little pools of green and pink in the spring, then the coum 'disappeared' as the season marched on and the colours in the borders took over.
DeleteThat cyclamen is such is an attractive deep pink Noelle and the leaves sound delightful. Our weather has finally started to perk up. So glad to see the back of that wind. Funnily enough I've just finished 'Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel' by Ruth Hogan which I thoroughly enjoyed. I've read 'The Keeper Of Lost Things' too but have still to read her second novel which is lurking on my Kindle. Recently read and recommended are 'Dear Mrs Bird' by A.J. Pearce, 'The Stranger Diaries' by Elly Griffiths' and 'Once Upon A river' by Diane Setterfield :)
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely recommendations, thanks Anna. I shall write all these down in my diary and have them to hand when I next go to the library. I just had to get out in the garden for a little while today, to clear away the paint fumes! With better weather the garden is stirring...but I am feeling impatient!
DeleteThat book is already on my shopping list so nice to hear another posiitve comment about it. I just read Rachel Joyce's The Music Shop and loved it - I finished it within 24 hours! I haven't had any success with cyclamen so far, but do love seeing them and will try once again to get some established this year.
ReplyDeleteThat the book recommendation Cathy. Also Rachel Joyce will be a new author to me. May I suggest that during the summer, you look out for seeds of cyclamen around the crown. The seed pods will have been drawn to the soil and if you rummage where the leaves were you will find them. All the species mature around this time whether they are spring or autumn flowering. Scatter the seed in some gritty soil straight on the garden....and hopefully in years to come you will have a good show.
DeleteAlso enjoyed that book.
ReplyDeleteNice Cyclamen and foliage, a rare treat for me. I read Blessed are the Cheesemakers recently and really enjoyed it,not a new book.
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