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Last week I mentioned that hellebores flower through winter and early spring. Another flower that appears during the same period is Cyclamen coum, which produces its pink or white flowers from December to March. These tiny, delicate-looking flowers with their upswept petals bring a touch of colour to the greyest months.
Although the flowers may appear fragile, Cyclamen coum is thoroughly hardy, coping with temperatures down to minus 10°C. It likes a well-drained soil with plenty of humus and a little shelter. The leaves die back later in spring, reappearing in autumn, and it grows well in partial shade. This makes it a good plant for areas around trees and shrubs.
I have the autumn-flowering Cyclamen hederifolium growing here. The flowers are larger and manage to compete with the planting around them. Seeing how much smaller the flowers of C. coum are in comparison, made me feel that they would be somewhat lost in my garden (even more so where I leave the dead remains of the summer’s growth to shelter hibernating insects). Now though, I see that they can make quite an impact, especially where they manage to spread and create a mass of bright colour. There may be some Cyclamen coum corms on my shopping list for autumn!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 