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REVAMP WINTER BEDDING Create carpets of colour with
CYCLAMEN
CAROL KLEIN
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"Why my love afair with anemones will never end!"
Plant of the week FACTFILE HARDY CYCLAMEN Tubers Shade Well-drained soil Fully hardy Height: up to 10cm (4in) Flowers: late winter/early spring (C. coum), autumn (C. hederifolium)
A splash of colour on
INDOOR CYCLAMEN NEED the warmth of the windowsill at this time of year, but Pam Richardson hardy cyclamen happily brave the GARDEN elements and WRITER tough it out in our gardens either in leaf or flower. Despite their small size, hardy cyclamen make a real impact, especially when they’re planted in big groups. Winter flowering Cyclamen coum and autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium may each flower at different times, but their leaves add a constant tapestry of green and silver, enhanced in winter by the dainty flowers of C. coum. Both cyclamen clothe bare ground under shrubs and trees or in woodland and will naturalise well in grass from seed scattered in summer. Cyclamen coum flourishes in well-drained soils in shade. Hardy to -20C (-4F), the flowers appear in
winter days
Hardy cyclamen make a real impact in big groups
January and February, and with backswept rounded petals they hover on wiry stems above kidney-shaped or rounded leaves. The foliage varies from plain green, silver-marked, or burnished pewter, depending on the variety. The species has green, rounded leaves, which are the perfect foil for more colourful varieties. Foliage may blacken or go limp in frost, but it recovers if it’s out of direct sunlight.
Each pastel pink, magenta or white bloom has a dark blotch at its base, distinguishing C. coum from the summer and autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium. The species and many of its varieties and groups hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) as excellent garden plants. Cyclamen coum albissimum has white flowers with carmine red mouths, while ‘Roseum’ has pale pink flowers with a dark
blotch at their base and green, marbled leaves. Varieties within each group, such as dark pink-flowered, magenta-flowered and redflowered, perfectly describe the different flowers, but the foliage can differ widely from plain green to silver-etched leaves with broad green patterns. Cyclamen coum ‘Silver Group’ has foliage with silver markings that vary between plants.
Four stunning cyclamen looking good now
Cyclamen coum ‘Rose Shades’
Cyclamen coum Pewter Group
Cyclamen coum ‘Maurice Dryden’
Rose-pink flowers appear over silver leaves that have a green ‘Christmas tree’ stencilled on each one!
Silvery-pewter frosting on the leaves. ‘Tilebarn Elisabeth’, with magenta flowers, is a choice variety in the Pewter Group.
White flowers and pewter foliage with a green margin make this another superb cyclamen variety.
4 Garden News / January 24 2015
Cyclamen hederifolium This hardy cyclamen has spectacular toothed and pointed leaves that last all winter and combine well with C. coum.
Left: Cyclamen repandum flowers in spring Photos: Garden World Images unless stated
“Cyclamen are such adaptable plants” Cyclamen coum will grow in the dry soil around the base of trees
Vic Aspland President of the Cyclamen Society
Transplant cyclamen seedlings into small pots after sowing
Bauer
How to plant hardy cyclamen Cyclamen coum grow from round tubers the size of peas. Plant 3-5cm (1¼in - 2in) deep in a shaded position. Enrich the soil with leaf mould and add grit to heavy soils to aid drainage. They root from the bottom of the tuber. If shoots are showing, it helps identify the top of the tuber from the bottom. If not, the top is the side with the small hollow in it. Tubers can also be planted in growth. Once planted, cover the soil with a mulch of leaf mould. Cyclamen seeds are held on coiled stalks and have a sweet sticky coating that attracts ants.
Soak seed overnight before sowing in summer in pots of equal parts seed compost and sharp grit. Cover with a sprinkling of compost to exclude light and seal in a clear plastic bag. Keep at 16C (61F) on a shady windowsill or greenhouse. Transplant into small pots when large enough to handle. They take three years to flower.
Vic used to belong to the Alpine Garden Society and through them received seed of two cyclamen species: Cyclamen libanoticum and C. hederifolium. “They grew so successfully that I wanted more,” he says. “They are so adaptable, growing in all sorts of soils from sand to heavy clay, even dry, impoverished soils. In my garden they grow right up against the base of a cupressus hedge where most plants would struggle. Some of the best flowering ones are inside the base of an old hawthorn hedge. Even grass won’t grow there. “Cyclamen give such a long performance at the most difficult time of the year and they’ll grow well in shade.”
“Grow Cyclamen hederifolium for flowers from July to October, C. coum for blooms from January to March and Cyclamen repandum for spring flowers. These hardy cyclamen can be grown in adjoining groups, but don’t intermix them. Cyclamen hederifolium will starve out the competition if the tubers are closely mingled. “Buy plants in flower to get the leaf type and flower colour. Replant them into the garden with around 5cm (2in) of soil above the tuber. Don’t buy dry tubers, which are more difficult to establish and may have been dug from the wild. “Cyclamen repandum can be slow to establish, so for the best chance of success buy in April and replant into the garden in May when they are dormant and, unlike other hardy cyclamen, plant the tubers at least 15cm (6in) deep.”
Perfect partners
Golden eranthis make a splash of bright colour
Bauer
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Pure white snowdrops will create a pre y effect
Bauer
The distinctive fl ared white to deep red-pink and magenta flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium appear before the leaves in late summer and autumn. Their pointed, variegated leaves appear in winter, so they make a good partner for Cyclamen coum. Although C. hederifolium copes with shade and tolerates dry soils, the tubers need moisture to establish. Adding garden compost or leaf mould to dry soils, and mulching the tubers, helps to provide this. In soil that is too wet, the tubers will rot. For a carpet of winter colour, grow both Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium and combine them with hellebores, snowdrops and eranthis.
January 24 2015 / Garden News 5
Weekly reminders and advice from the GN team 5 quick jobs to do right now
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Protect spring bedding from slug damage Not much flowers in January, so anything that is in bloom and adding colour now is especially valuable. Don’t let slugs and snails spoil the displays of brave spring bedding plants such as primroses, protect them now.
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Top up blueberry compost
Remove molehills
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Keep orchids dust free
Houseplants need to make the most of the little light available to them during the winter, and a coating of dust on their leaves won’t help. Broadleaved plants such as phalaenopsis orchids, rubber and swiss cheese plants are particularly prone to gathering dust. Use a soft cloth, proprietary leaf wipe or piece of dampened kitchen towel to get them nice and clean again.
Burrowing moles can be a problem at this time of year, and if you regularly wake up to find your lawn peppered by mini mountains of excavated soil, you’ll know what a nuisance they can be. The soil will need to be removed and the patch levelled before you can re-sow, but you’ll need to keep an eye on the bare bit because it will be ripe for weed invasion. The one benefit of mole trouble is that the dug-up soil is usually fine and crumbly and you can use it in potting mixes.
Those of us without acid soil have to grow our blueberries in pots of ericaceous compost. Although these deciduous plants are dormant now, it’s a good time to make sure their pots are in good nick. If the compost surface has developed a layer of moss, liverwort or weeds, scrape them off the top and put a fresh layer of ericaceous compost on top.
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Take hardwood cuttings
Clare Foggett
Greg Loades
Ian Hodgson
Horticulturist Clare’s 50m (165ft) garden is home to fruit, cut flowers and ornamental borders.
Rose specialist and horticulturist with a large allotment that includes lots of roses as well as fruit and veg.
Kew-trained horticulturist and garden designer, who previously worked for the RHS.
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There’s still time to take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs that have lost their leaves. Cut stems that are 20-25cm (8-10in) long and root them either in deep pots of compost or in the ground. Make a slit trench with the back of a spade in a sheltered spot, line it with some sharp sand to aid drainage and insert the cuttings into it so their lower two thirds are buried.
January 24 2015 / Garden News 17
ories this week The big gardeningEditst ge ed by IAN HODGSON Editor-at-lar
Poison garden to expand, along with new features
A
LNWICK CASTLE IS set to stage a range of new garden features, which will see the world-famous poison garden double in area. The move is driven by the huge numbers of visitors wanting to see the innovative plot, which at present measures just 60m by 40m (197ft x 131ft), resulting in overcrowding at peak times. Alnwick’s visionary creator, Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, was inspired by the poison garden at the botanic garden at Padua, Italy, after a visit in 1996. Alnwick’s version opened to great acclaim in February 2005. The Duchess is licensed to grow marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms for educational purposes. “We’re expanding into a vacant space to one side, mirroring the type of plant exhibits we have now, but giving people more of a chance to learn about the plants in greater comfort,” said head gardener Trevor Jones. “The ‘poison ivy’ tunnels will be linked together and combined
26 Garden News / January 24 2015
with flame-patterned hedges to help direct movement of visitors. “We’ve been surprised by the level of interest the garden has generated, particularly in young people, who are fascinated by the dangerous and poisonous plants we have on show,” added Trevor. Other developments include features using moving water features. A circular lawn will be placed in front of the grand cascade, an events garden for both private and public use will combine romantic planting and water, and a spiral garden created from turf and pleached hornbeam will again showcase water at its centre. Although plans are complete, funding is still to be secured. If quickly sourced, the new poison garden could open in 2016. Alnwick Garden which attracts more than 800,000 visitors a year, opened in 2001, reportedly costing £42 million. ● Visit www.alnwickgarden.com
‘Poison ivy’ tunnels will help direct visitors to new areas
Photos: Alnwick Castle and Gardens
It’s all go at Alnwick!
Expanded poison garden will welcome more visitors in comfort
Alnwick’s grand cascade will be augmented by a circular lawn