Cyclamen Coum and Cyclamen Hederifolium from Ashwood Nurseries

After the talk on Hellebores, I left 'my party' to wander off to search for cyclamens.

All round John Massey's Garden some very special cyclamen such as the Cyclamen Graecum above have been artfully placed with  well planned soil preparation, drainage and positioning next to a large rock.  In some areas of lawn old seed was broadcast  making colourful early spring displays  with cyclamen popping up in other areas where ants had move seed to just the right spots such as this stony area.

After a walk round the public areas, and not finding what I was looking for, I approached the information desk.  Soon they found a very knowledgeable and helpful specialist member of staff who works on the Cyclamen Section:  Hayden Worton.

He has been working at Ashwood for around 10 years, and the area of propagation for the cyclamen is extensive.  We chatted about the Coums and Hederifoliums, and Hayden showed me some of his new developments and the large deep pan full of numerous small cyclamen seedlings which need several more seasons growing.  Wouldn't anyone agree that even without flowers these make just the most eye catching plants, sadly these were stock plants or not available for sale.

Hayden very kindly showed me various strains and cultivars and helped the novice that I am in the specials...choose a few.

I shall start with the Coums:

Cyclamen Coum George Bisson which has pure white flowers

Cyclamen Coum Tilebarn Elizabeth, with its silver leaf I understand it is one of the last Coums to flower in the season.  With its beautiful bicolour flowers, this is definitely one for my 'show shelf'

This coum is probably an anomaly, as the flowers appear larger and on close inspection there is some fasciation with more than the usual number of petals apparently per bloom.....

A Cyclamen Coum Pewter group- mid pink colour blooms, but with a little shading

Cyclamen coum  with pale pink flowers, with silver leaves with a green marking in the centre

Cyclamen coum pewter group with pale pink flowers

Cyclamen coum Maurice Dryden which has a pewter leaf with green edge, and a white to pale pink flower with pink 'lips'  so it is 'Blush'

And now for the Hederifoliums which will flower in the autumn, and all of these are very hardy.  For  a year or two they may be potted up and displayed on my shelf or brought into the conservatory to enjoy.

Cyclamen Hederifolium Lysander

 Cyclamen Hederifolium with Silver arrow head shaped leaves

 Cyclamen Hed. Silver Shield

 Cyclamen hederifolium, Silver Leafed form

Cyclamen hederifolium arrow or almost sword shaped silver leaves with green margins.

I only grew to be interested and indeed aware of silver leaves on the Cyclamens when a few of my seeds collected from friends gardens germinated.  What is nice about germinating and growing on such special beautities is that I was able to share them with two other friends.  Over the winter the low winter light and sunshine have made the 'darker corner' of the garden rather pretty:

From home germinated seed now lying in a darker corner of the garden, covered with slowly degrading evergreen oak leaves.

Six on Saturday - 20 November 2021

1. Getting involved with your local gardening club:

 During the week our Gardening Club's speaker was Jo Hayes.  I design and update our club's website, and each month I post about the forthcoming talk or event. Our talks organiser chooses excellent speakers, and we are very fortunate is having two members who are excellent speakers themselves.  After our talk this week by Jo Haynes, I hope that some members may start to grow or widen their interest in cyclamen, and indeed quite a few of Jo's plants were sold.  At £5 a pot some thought they were a little pricy at first, but were viewed in a different light, after she explained how long it took to grow the plants from seed, and that being the only way to propagate cyclamen.  I noticed there were more takers after that.  Hopefully next year, I shall have more takers for all the seeds that I collect. 

How and why I came to 'volunteer' to do the design and updating of the website as I had no previous experience, and just how far I have come, is thanks to the encouragement of the committee. Maybe it is just knowing that if I needed help, asking for it, would hopefully bring a solution, and if in doubt ask Mr Google! Using that same method only today I have learnt how to take a screen shot and save it, so that I can keep a record.  Jo kindly sent me a picture as I like to put up a little about our speaker. 

If you don't try you will never succeed....

I first heard Jo speak, in January 2019 at my regional branch of the HPS, where in addition to buying a pretty Cyclamen coum, I also bought seed of one variety.

As well as leading us through the year with the different species as they flower, she advised us of species to grow in the garden, and also ones which needed frost free conditions, or which at least require a cold greenhouse, Jo told us about her work as National Collection Holder, and the work of The Cyclamen Society, which has an annual seed distribution available to members.

Jo Hynes contact details as the National Cyclamen Collection holder are on the Plant Heritage Site.  

2. One of the original plants bought from Jo, at our first encounter,  is Cyclamen cilicium, I went out to take a picture of it and even now, after flowers are over,  it offers a pretty 'winter green' focus point in the gravel garden. Later on it completely disappears leaving the stage to other gravel garden plants.

3. Also grown from seed bought at the same time is Cyclamen graecum subs.candicum which I have risked growing in the gravel garden, where it certainly gets a good baking in the summer.  I wonder whether this is fool hardy of mef?  This is the second year, and the leaves are very interesting.  It will be another couple of years before they flower.

4. Released from its pot during the summer Cyclamen hederifolium Lysander, bought from John Massey's nursery provides delightful leaf cover at the foot of Ghislaine de Feligonde. The original source for this plant came from Taygetos mountains close to Sparta, and named after this ancient city's Greek Hero.

5. I planted the remainder of this year's hederifolium seeds and they are already germinating.

6. Did I buy any this time?  Just the one, which is a selected leaf form of Cyclamen hederifolium.

And I was tickled pink with a gift of a tiny little Cyclamen purpurascens, which will take some cossetting and guarding from slugs.  Jo advised me that of all the cyclamen this is perhaps the only one which the slugs go for. I had asked her if she grew these when I contacted her a few weeks ago.  This is a virtually evergreen cyclamen, which prefers shade, and which is said to have a wonderful  scent of Lily of the Valley, and used in the perfume industry. This one will be grown on the shaded side ledge and when in flower can then be moved to where the fragrance can be enjoyed.

Of course, I am not forgetting all the other cyclamen in the garden, but those will need to wait another time, and as for Jon: The Propagator, even though he has spent time running long distances and decorating, he still leads us by posting and has the confidence to show us his greenhouse which he is going to work on this weekend.  I am sure we shall have some 'after' pictures next week.

Six on Saturday - 29 November 2025

I didn't post last week, as I was otherwise occupied.  Since I am a glass half full sort of person, this week I am offering a full glass made up of a half full glass from last week, and a half full glass from this week, by this I mean three pictures were taken before the big frost, and three after.

1. This little alpine strawberry was still fruiting and looking lovely with its leaves, little white flowers and bright fruits.  This is one that does not make any runners and grows from seed.  It originally came from my volunteering days at Kenilworth Castle gardens, where I planted these, and the following years hand weeded the paths and found the seedlings.  The crowns get larger each year, but little seedlings appear around the garden and I have gathered sufficient to grow half a dozen crowns along the edge behind the shed.

2. A few days of cold wet weather arriving meant a few jobs were brought forward so that they could be completed.  Mr S used up some flooring, left over from another indoor project, which had been languishing in the loft for a number of years. It was time to replace the flooring in the shed, which had been made up of a patchwork of left over vinyl flooring.  The refurbishment of the shed is now complete.

3. Galanthus Natalie Garton is a little precocious this year. You can tell that this is from last week before the frosts, as the nasturtium leaves are still green.

4. I grew Lotus Berthelotii Orange through the summer on the circular table in the garden, moving it to stand on an old speaker stand under the canopy by the front door. As we were going to be away for the coldest of the nights last week I brought it into the conservatory.  However reading that it can tolerate temperatures down to 1 C, it is going back outside since most of the succulents are vying for space with a little warmth.  I hope to look after it giving it feeds in the spring so that it comes into flower next year.

Lotus Berthelotii Orange

5. These three pots of a fabulous little perennial Viola are  perched on soil where any number of spring beauties are likely to be lurking underground.

Viola cucullata alba

I've moved them to the top of my short side wall.  You will find a little more about this viola on an earlier post: Viola cucullata alba. 

6. Since I last posted the frosts have hit hard.  You don't need any pictures to conjure up the idea of general clearing of things from the garden. The cosmos have been chopped off a ground level.  These days I certainly leave the roots of annuals hence not disturbing the soil structure. Old rotten sticks and bamboo canes too old to safely use next year have been discarded, and the garden no longer has that late autumn look.  I decided to remove a big clump of Corydalis ochroleuca which had self seeded in the conservatory bed, and I found lurking under the foliage a little treasure another early flowering snowdrop, which I shall keep to show in my next post. Gold star if you can guess in advance the name. 

Stop Press this morning I learnt something worth sharing about Cyclamen Lysander. This link is to where I mention this Cyclamen hederifolium which I bought from Ashwoods. 

This is from the great plantsman John Lonsdale via Facebook: 

"Originally distributed by Ashwood Nurseries, it is a seed strain derived from material collected in the Peloponnese by Dutch nurseryman Antoine Hoog under the collector’s number AH8672A, and christened ‘Lysander’ after the famous Spartan general of that name."

John Lonsdale has grown some fabulous cyclamen and was showing the interesting 'Lysander Group' cyclamen.  Here is one from my sodden garden this morning.

Things in the garden to talk about are getting scarcer, so I am thinking that my next offering might be a 'flight of plants'* for SOS in three weeks time, two from each of the three weeks which will be the Saturday before Christmas.  That will mean two weeks off for me. 

Of course I shall be popping in to view the posts of other SOS contributors.  As usual I am linking into the centre of SOS over on Jim's blog.

* Continuing on my theme of glasses half full, recently we have found restaurants offering flights of drinks to go with a meal, sometime two glasses sometimes three glasses, which suits Mr S and I perfectly as we order just one flight with each having a little drink from each glass and the driver far less!

Six on Saturday - 12 October 2019

Its been one of those weeks when I have been busy moving plants out of the rain!  Those small seedlings would just get washed out of their pots, so they are moved to the best light on a windowsill.  Thank goodness all the front garden is how planted up and mulched with bark....

The Propagator under whose awning the rest of us SOS gather to show and tell and ask, is waiting for us all...here are mine....

The Cyclamen hederifolium are the stars at the moment..and who needs flowers when you can have leaves like these.  Yes I know some of you will be shouting out..yes you do need flowers: flowers means seeds, seeds mean the possibility of propagation etc....  These are the leaves fully unfurled after flowering, of (1) Cyclamen hederifolium 'Lysander'! It was the leaves with its angular serrated  paler margins which were the pulling feature!

Cyclamen hederifolium Lysander

I can show cyclamen with flowers too: (2) Cyclamen hederifolium with silver arrow head shaped leaves with green margins and fine deep pink flowers:

I have a shelf where choice plants are placed on the outside of the shed...so there is every possibility of my being able to admire the blooms in a pause between heavy showers.

(3) Japanese grass Hakonechloa Macra Aureola is just coming into flower...I love cutting it and putting it in arrangements.  I have three clumps growing in pots,  I find their rounded graceful shape looks good in many spaces...I move them around....

(4)  The seasons are playing tricks again with the Rosemary in flower. Bumblebees are still visiting flowers around the garden when the rain stops.  I have been  experimenting  with using edibles from the garden and have been adding flowers to salads...just pull the flower away from the green bit and you are left with soft blue petals.  They are quite tender, sweet, and tasty for for fruit or vegetable salads.  We had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden over the last couple of days...it nectar of  choice being from the flowers of  Linaria pupurea 'Canon Went'.  That was an 'aside' maybe a (4b)

Rosemary in flower in October 

(5)  The Runner Beans gave a little spurt of growth with flowers a few weeks back, after the very first of the rain...I think we have two more pickings before it is time to chop down the runners, and store the canes until next year.

(6)  Chillies are turning red....grown outdoor in the open ground all summer from seed saved from a chilli grown four years ago in my last garden!  I am thinking of digging up a plant, potting it up, and growing it on for another year.  I managed to keep a plant going for three years doing this...it saves growing from seed each year.  Although I grew two plants this year..one plant is quite sufficient for us.

Six on Saturday -31 October 2026

 My Body Clock is still on British Summer Time, no surprise there, and the garden is still looking wonderful considering all the rain and wind we have had.  For more ruminations of matters gardening there is a bundle of links worth chasing around, over on Jim's post, from plant enthusiasts.

Lets get on with Six observations from my garden this week

1. Colour: I like colour, and the little maple has moved from her green outfit, to the colourful one.

Acer Wakaranai (Japanese for 'unknown')

2. I do like a little violet, and amazingly this little one has been flowering throughout the hot summer, it is in a shady place, and didn't have any water.  For some reason it has a 'receding' bottom lip.  I don't know whether this is standard.I have s pied a better form, and may have to get this one. 

Viola hederacea

3. It was really hot and dry as we all know in the UK this year.  One plant that didn't do well at all was the lovely frothy white flowered Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide'.  Maybe I ought just to have dug it out and thrown it away.  It was probably in the wrong place anyway: too hot and dry.  I just couldn't bear to do this, so I dug it up the roots, repotted them, gave them a good water, and just look at them putting on good new growth.

Thalictrum delavayi splendide

4.  Cyclamen are not just for flowers, some of them have different leaves.  I like all of them. The Hederifolium like this one, make super winter soil cover.

Cyclamen Lysander Ashwood Nurseries

5. There are still flowers over in the sunny part of  the garden too.  Such as this Chrysanthemum given to me by Erica as a division from the plant in her garden. We think is it called 'Dulwich Pink'.  There were some very large bumblebees visiting the flowers this week.

Chrysanthemum Dulwich Pink

6. Over in the middle of the gravel garden is a Verbena.  Its dark metallic leaves and thin arching stems of seeds adds a dark mysterious element, and is nicely contrasted against the pale gravel.  Yet it is not easy to photography, yet so pleasing to the eye.

Verbena officinalis 'Bampton'

On the  31st day of  strength training during October, which is today, I am delighted to say that I have been convinced that it is possible to see a marked improvement in just four weeks of exercises. Today all the exercises for seven days plus warm ups and cool downs were done in just under half an hour.  Any further donations will help the British Heart Foundation.  I had set a goal of £250 and thanks to you all for helping me raise even more.  I shall continue with 'Strong Woman for Life'.

Six on Saturday - 29 August 2020

 With strong winds and lots of rain, it feels as it Summer is drawing to a close. Non the less, I am still hoping this is just a blip, and that there will be more sunny and balmy days ahead.  One thing that won't change is the shortening of the days.  I am an early riser, often before six, and enjoy my little trip around the garden, which inevitably leads to changing the water in the bird bath, and slaying a few slugs on their way home from a hard night of nibbling.  Soon there will be no time for this without delaying breakfast.  My dearly beloved is usually still in bed until he hears the kettle being turned on!

This week the succulents, which have been spending the Summer in the garden, have been the focus of my attention.  On sunny days, it is still too hot to have them in the conservatory, but it is also too wet for them outside.  Earlier this year I passed on duplicates, or triplicated, and ditched all my larger specimens, whittling down the numbers so that I can handle them safely,  making moving them around so much easier.

(1) The 'Crown' of the last year's large Aeonium Velour , is already growing well, and is just about the right size for me to carry comfortably in and out of the Conservatory.  It has a special table!

A couple of neighbours had kept their Aeonium Schwarzkopfs in their open porches quite successfully , so I am going to risk those and some of the other succulents, and only bring them indoors, if temps are forecast to drop too low.

(2) A new small allium  is flowering in the gravel garden: Allium senescens montanum var glaucum.  When I saw the plants earlier this year, I just had to buy the pot of 'curly whirly spirally blue green leaves'..now the flowers have arrived, I am really pleased I did get it. 

The rains have brought on the cyclamen hederifolium in the garden, and also my specials in pots, into flower, and strangely several of the coum are in leaf too.

(3) I decided to plant the pot grown Cyclamen cilicium album, straight into the gravel garden, with two small corms that I had grown from its seed. At the base of a rock for shelter and warmth they are flowering for the first time.  The mother plant seem to have 'melted away'.

(4) Last year Cyclamen hederifolium Lysander mainly gave leaves, but this year it is flowering very well. At first the flowers were growing from a central point straight up, unlike the others, but in the last few days, more flowers have been coming from deeper down or along the edge of the pot.  

(5) Polypodium cambricum 'Richard Kayse: a week ago I cut back the old growth to better admire the newly emerging fronds.The bright fresh green is indeed a treat at this time of the year.

(6) Rose Open Arms looking suitable refreshed with rain and lower temperatures. I picked up the original plant when visiting Rob Cole,.  I visited his and Diane's garden several times, on the occasions he welcomed fellow members of the Warwickshire Plant Heritage Group, to his garden at Meadow Farm  in Worcestershire. Over tea when I was chatting with Diane Cole, and explaining that Mr S loved simple flowers, she showed me her Rose Open Arms, and I knew I had to get this one.  She even talked me through how to propagate it by cuttings.  Luckily she had one plant, and when we knew we were going to move, the cuttings were taken. 

The Propagator has collected six beauties this week including a  Dahlia ‘Caribbean Fantasy’, name I think is quite apt considering he is off to the cost of Norfolk.