A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HARDY CYCLAMEN
Hardy cyclamen are such rewarding plants. Being shade loving they are often recommended to be planted under trees however in autumn 2006 I thought I would take a chance on planting them in the open. I had just built a small walled garden that could be seen from my kitchen window and surrounding an area I often sit and have coffee. It was late summer so choice of planting for instant impact was by now limited. I visited the garden centre and just in were hardy cyclamen one of my many favourites but I had never had success with them, I needed low plants as being on a corner the wind can cut sharply across so I just had to have them. I bought 16 plants to plant along my wall between 7 solar lights = 2 plants light, 2 plants light….. Now, this area doesn't get the sun until late afternoon when if hot it's scorching and it had been an exceptionally hot summer but now the days were getting shorter so I thought I might get away with planting them where I wanted them in the open and in full afternoon sun. I thought if they just lasted until late October/ early November I would be happy and happy I am. They flourished and flowered and flowered from the time I planted right through until early March absolutely beautiful and gave pleasure from my kitchen window right through the winter months, even on the dullest days. I had planted crocus and miniature iris amongst them so now, mid March I still have the lovely leaves of the cyclamen, although they are now getting less, but with the colour of the crocus and iris popping through. To get this display I admit they were quite spoilt in that once the wall was finished the soil was rather low so I purchased potting compost to top it up which the cyclamen were planted directly into and then I surrounded them with very course grit so the leaves didn’t touch the soil. It has all been very worthwhile and I'm just hoping that they will appear again next year. So the moral of this story is when gardening it is sometimes worthwhile taking chances.
About the Author: Please visit all season gardening for affordable garden & plant items.
More articles by jodie
Print Article | Download PDF | 115 views | Mar 19 2007
|
|
