Cyclamen coum ‘Tilebarn Elizabeth’ (Persian Violet)

One of the brightest jewels of the winter border, Cyclamen coum ‘Tilebarn Elizabeth’ is a vigorous and delightful tuberous perennial with lovely rounded pewter leaves and small but showy bicolor flowers. Pale pink verging toward white, the luminous blooms are delicately edged in rich rose-red and adorned with a dark blotch at the bottom of each petal. 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!

• Growing up to 2-3 inches tall (5-8 cm), this Cyclamen 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 winter while the dainty flowers bloom in late winter and early spring – until both foliage and flowers die back.
• 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, mixed borders, and in rock gardens. Great in woodlands or containers too. Cyclamen coum looks fabulous with Snowdrops (Galanthus Nivalis) and Hellebores (Christmas or Lenten Roses)
• Watch for spider mites, vine weevil, cyclamen mite or gray mold.
• Propagate by seed. 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 that are beautifully shaped like ivy and marked with a lovely silver. Some species flower early in the year while others wait until late Summer, sending up successive waves of attractive blooms into early fall. Easy to grow, there are about 20 species of cyclamen and almost all of them are native to the Mediterranean.