I missed my usual Mass-Market Monday post because I spent
the entire day putting things away after the weekend’s orchid show, and
catching up on shipping orders. I’m still not caught up, but it’s better.
Our hometown fall orchid show is always held at one of the
local nurseries, and my tradition is to buy one or more cyclamen plants for the
garden. Over the years I’ve collected quite a variety of cyclamens, which seem
to have interbred and produced more different leaf and flower designs. They’re
really fun to grow because they go dormant and disappear over the summer, but
as soon as the rains start in the fall, up pop the flowers or the leaves, in
different order depending on the species, and sometimes both flowers and leaves
together. Different species bloom at different times, so there are flowers
continuously from early fall through winter and spring.
This year I went all-out and bought 4 plants – a pointed-leaf
hederifolium, a coum with variegated leaves to offset the silver-leaf ones that
have bred like rabbits and gone wild beneath the fig tree, and two gorgeous
purpurascens. Most cyclamen species have at least a little fragrance, unlike
the big florist hybrids, which are unscented. What I wasn’t expecting was a
huge blast of fragrance that rivaled jasmine or fragrant lilies in strength. As
I approached the cyclamen bench, I smelled what could have been a fine floral
perfume wafting through the air. It didn’t take long to trace it to the
Cyclamen purpurascens, which were pumping it out like crazy. After a lot of sniffing I chose the two most
fragrant ones, which, just by chance, have very different leaf designs. They are now happily planted in the front garden under a
Japanese maple tree.
If this doesn't make you want to grow cyclamens, I don't know what will.
[All photos are mine]
How wonderful! I just love species cyclamen. Unfortunately around here one only ever sees Cyclamen hederifolium, and even that is not as common as it deserves to be. I must get hold of some Cyclamen purpurascens to experience that scent!
ReplyDeleteNic, the purpurascens scent is absolutely amazing. We are lucky to have a few nurseries that sell species cyclamen plants. I've also bought some of the more unusual ones by mail order, but I think it's best to smell the flowers in person to get the most fragrant ones.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually have any idea of what cylamen smells like; how would you describe it?
ReplyDeleteNeyon, To me the best general description of cyclamen fragrance would be a bright, crisp, clean floral scent unlike that of any other flower. The Cyclamen purpurascens actually smell like a full-spectrum perfume, with the bright, clean, almost aldehydic top notes accompanied by a rich floral heart and warm, musky undertones.
DeleteThank you, sounds extremely wonderful and unique, will have to try to grow myself now.
DeleteI became acquainted with fragrant, wild cyclamen in the mountains of Northern Italy this year, and they just knocked me out with their beauty! A little like the scent of wisteria, a bit like jasmine, sooooo gorgeous! It's really too bad the hybrids have lost this exquisite perfume.
ReplyDeleteSadly here in Sydney Cyclamen are annual, they rot in the ground.
ReplyDeleteBUMMER
Portia xxx
You would think they would rot in the ground here in Seattle where it rains constantly all winter, but for some reason they survive. Maybe they need colder weather than you have in Sydney? Just a wild guess.
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