cyclamen in So Cal
Jane McGary (Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:43:59 PST)

If I lived in southern California I would try all kinds of Cyclamen,
particularly the noble forms of C. graecum from the Peloponnese with their
wonderful variety of leaf forms. Best success is had with fresh seed, which
I believe is best obtained by joining the Cyclament Society (I don't belong
to it but have some generous friends). As for C. persicum, a volunteer
seedling came up in my bulb frame a few years ago and has survived
temperatures down to 20F/minus 6 C there, protected from moisture on the
leaves during freezes; it flowers well and has produced more volunteer
seedlings. Because Cyclamen seed is attractive to ants, the young plants
come up all over between the pots and I get them (or most of them) when I
lift the pots in midsummer; then I have tubers to try in the garden, where
most of them probably just froze to death.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA