Cyclamen coum (Persian Violet)

Few sights surpass a mixed planting of Cyclamen coum (Persian Violet) on an early spring morning! Award-winning Cyclamen coum is an early spring bloomer with lovely heart-shaped, glossy leaves and small but showy flowers in shades of white to rosy-purple with every hue in between. Adding several weeks of cheerful color and beauty to the garden in late winter – early spring, the blossoms are so abundant that they almost obscure the leaves! Very decorative, the leaves may be plain dark green but they are adorned with pretty silver patterns.

• Growing up to 3-6 inches tall and wide (7-15 cm), this species is quite hardy and can stand very cold temperatures. It will self-seed and naturalize faster than any other hardy cyclamen. The leaves grow in the fall and over the winter, while the dainty flowers bloom in late winter and early spring – until both foliage and flowers die back.
• Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society for its outstanding qualities
• Easily grown in rich, moist, well-drained soils in part shade. Low maintenance, it doesn’t need weeding or deadheading! Cover the plants with mulch for over-wintering.
• Best planted en masse in front of shrubs, around trees, in mixed borders, and in rock gardens. Great in woodlands or containers too. Cyclamen coum looks fabulous with Snowdrops (Galanthus Nivalis)
• Watch for spider mites, Vine weevil, Cyclamen mite, or gray mold.
• Propagate by seed, division, or separation. Seeds should be soaked for 12 hours before planting. Sow the seeds in late spring for next year’s flowering. Plant tubers in late summer or early fall.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.

Cyclamen are low-growing tuberous perennials with delicate, winged ‘butterfly’ flowers in shades of pink to white and dark green leaves beautifully shaped like ivy and marked with a lovely silver. Some species flower early in the year, while others wait until late Summer, sending successive waves of attractive blooms into early fall. Easy to grow, there are about 20 cyclamen species, and almost all of them are native to the Mediterranean.