I was in one of the big box stores the other day and noticed a table full of blooming Cyclamen persicum. I went over to take a look and when I got over them a really pleasant fragrance became apparent. I picked a red one up, took a sniff, and got a whiff of something unpleasant. Then I tried a pink one – same stink. Finally I tried a white-flowered one: wonderful! I suspect that this plant has a potential life-span inside the house to be measured in hours. So it’s outside for the time being. It will probably spend the winter in the cold frame, although it’s pretty big for that space. The only other cyclamen in the frame is Cyclamen cyprium – and it’s just barely showing signs of renewed life now. This Cyclamen cyprium I raised from seed – in a sense. Several years ago John Lonsdale came down and spoke to our local rock garden group. He brought some plants with him, among them one Cyclamen cyprium which came home with me. Sometime later the plant croaked; I was very busy at the time and did not even have the time to tidy up the frame and throw away the pot. It’s a good thing: eventually, a cyclamen seed germinated in that pot. I transplanted it from the pot to the ground in the cold frame, and it’s been there since. Is it Cyclamen cyprium? I don’t know – it has not yet bloomed for the first time. It made good growth last year and I was expecting bloom this year; but so far no bloom. That newly purchased white-flowered plant of Cyclamen persicum is loaded with buds. If it doesn’t freeze in the frame, I’ll bet it will be blooming into the new year. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where Biarum tenuifolium is blooming. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/