Cyclamen libanoticum

LEBANON CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen libanoticum
LEBANON CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen libanoticum is a hardy beauty, perfect for Australian gardens.
It is well acquainted with heat and summer dry, as a native of forests in Lebanon.

Spicy sweet peppery perfume

Cyclamen libanoticum creates sweetly fragrant carpets of flowers in late winter and early spring.
When the scent is enchanting, wafting spicy, peppery perfumes from every flower.
And the blooms continue for ages, from late winter well into spring.

Enchanting windswept flowers with magenta snouts 

The blooms of Cyclamen libanoticum are especially large.
With broad petals thrown strongly back without twisting – so the flowers seem particularly large and showy.
Blooms are usually clear sugar-pink, with the noses shading to white and kissed by deep magenta M shaped lips.

Silver & emerald laced foliage

Cyclamen libanoticum also puts on a dazzling display of foliage from late autumn – early winter, and continues on with the decorative foliage until the late winter and spring flowering is finished.
The heart shaped leaves are also large and showy.
As each leaf is marked with a central deep emerald triangle, surrounded by silver lace patterns, and backed with deep, royal purple.
So they flash as they flutter in the wind, and brighten up even the gloomiest, shaded parts of the garden with interest for months.
Each leaf has individually patterned markings – they are enchanting.

At home under evergreen or deciduous trees

Cyclamen libotanicum naturally grows under deciduous or evergreen oak forests on limestone country in Lebanon.
So they are well adapted to short, sharp, wet winters and long dry spells over summer.
And are happy in varying degrees of shade, including quite deep shade.
They also enjoy plenty of leaf litter and are quite happy growing in the company of other deep shade plants.

Perfect for gardeners with limited summer water

The whole outfit then disappears away to the corm during summer, to wait out the heat and dry, tucked in amongst the roots of trees and shrubs.
Until coming back on duty with those showy leaves in autumn, followed by the spicely fragrant pink flowers next spring.
So it prefers to be dry and shaded over the summer.

Perfect for gardeners with large trees & shrubs

Cyclamen libonaticum makes a perfect groundcover plant for gardeners with limited supplies of water in summer, and competition for water from trees and shrubs.

Detested by rabbits & deer resistant

Fortunately bunnies really don’t like the taste of Cyclamen; while deer place them very low on their menu selection too.

Decorates under trees & shrubs for months

Plant Cyclamen libanoticum in Shade under trees and shrubs.
Where it is highly valued as a ground cover.
Because of  its ability to tolerate long summer dry periods and heat.
And because it happily self seeds new corms each year, to colonize the shaded areas.

8cm. High in sweet and spicy scented blooms x 8cm Wide of heart shaped emerald and silver patterned foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Cyclamen libanoticum seeds are best sown late autumn, winter or early spring.

First soak seeds in warm water with a little detergent for 24 hours, then rinse thoroughly in fresh water before sowing.

Now sow the seeds in a punnet (or better still small, individual jiffy pots, on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then lightly cover the seeds with sieved mix or fine gravel to a depth equal to the diameter of the seeds.

Now thoroughly moisten the sown punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath so the moisture percolates up to the surface from below.
Then cover the punnet with a dark lid, such as a piece of cardboard or black plastic.
Cyclamen seeds germinate better in the dark.

Continue to keep moist & dark at approx. 10-16C. for rapid germination.

Most seed should germinate in 28-42 days, but some may be longer – so do not discard punnet.
It is a natural process for the seed to germinate at different times, as a cunning trick by the plant to give the seed a sporting chance to germinate into a good period of weather.

A pretend winter helps

Better germination can often be obtained by giving the Cyclamen seeds a “pretend winter”.
So after sowing the seeds, keep them in the dark at around 10-16C for 2-4 weeks.
Then cling wrap the moist, sown punnet and place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.
After this chilling, the punnet should be removed to cool, dark conditions at around 10-16C for germination. Higher temperatures are not beneficial.
And temperatures above 20C may inhibit germination.

Seed Count: 2 seeds per pack (Seed of this rare variety is very limited this year).

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