Winter colour?

[Plot70]

I have found that snowdrops transplant easily even if in flower.
These were found in 2012 with the clump up side down in a pile of fly tipped waste.
They recovered from there ordeal and have been getting so overcrowded that some of the bulbs are being pushed up to the surface allowing me to plant more clumps.
This spring I moved some of the pushed up bulbs to a new planting area and they even flowered.

[FB.]

If you feel the need to be 'doing something' there is still a bit of time left if you want to try growing Cyclamen from seed but seedlings will take 2-3yrs before they flower.

Quite a few people on auction sites offer seeds for pennies each; much cheaper than the big seed suppliers who sell a packet of about 15 seeds for £3!

Cyclamen are fussy little so-and-so's to get to germinate but I'll detail my method for you if you decide to try some.

[Penellype]

Some of the heucheras have colourful leaves and are evergreen, if you can keep the vine weevils away.

[Babru]

I bought single and double snowdrops in the green from eBay. They've done really well, and I doubt I'll ever need to buy more as they're clumping up nicely. Not expensive at all, and more reliable than dry bulbs.

[Nicos]

I gave up on snowdrops a few years ago as voles tuck into most bulbs in the garden apart from daffs !
However, you"™ve all got me thinking now that could grow some in pots....there are so many different varieties aren"™t there?

FB....I do have some cyclamen in a rockery but don"™t know what type they are...are you able to help ID them for me?..

I entered some into the vase of flowers in the VVS this year....
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...43#post2509543

[Babru]

You can identify a cyclamen mostly from its leaves and when it flowers Nicos. In the UK I think that cyclamen hederifolium and coum are the most commonly grown. Cyclamen hederifolium has ivy-shaped leaves, cyclamen coum has heart-shaped leaves.

Crocus has a good description of them: https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/aw...id.2000021977/

[FB.]

I gave up on snowdrops a few years ago as voles tuck into most bulbs in the garden apart from daffs !
However, you"™ve all got me thinking now that could grow some in pots....there are so many different varieties aren"™t there?

FB....I do have some cyclamen in a rockery but don"™t know what type they are...are you able to help ID them for me?..

I entered some into the vase of flowers in the VVS this year....
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...43#post2509543

From the flowering time C. hederifolium would be most likely (and is one of the easiest to grow) but the flowers look rather large unless it's an optical illusion.

A picture of the leaves would help. If that fails to give an ID you might have to dig one up to see what the underground parts look like.

I took some photos a few minutes ago of Cyclamen growing together in my garden and labelled them. We went down to about -3'C last night and the C.persicum are fine but they have a reputation for not withstanding severe frost.

[Nicos]

Pretty sure it"™s hederifolium!

[Nicos]

There are just three tiny flowers left..and they"™ve been flowering for months!

Thanks FB...I was suspecting it"™d be an easy one to survive/ grow cos I"™m pretty rubbish with flowers generally

[Nicos]

Nice link Babru! Thanks.

[FB.]

Pretty sure it"™s hederifolium!

Yes, it's probably C.hederifolium. That's what most people are likely to have.

It's the toughest, hardiest, most adaptable, most vigorous, most fertile variety for growing outdoors in the UK (or where you are in France, I think?).

Not all Cyclamen varieties are suited to all gardens but there will be at least one variety of Cyclamen suited to almost any garden no matter how dry/wet/cold /nasty it happens to be.

We grow them for the combination of autumn-winter colour and their ability to survive in our soil which is too dry in summer for most small plants to survive.

[Snadger]

Every year throws up different variants on flowering times. The South side of my rhododendron is in flower now. My best buy from last year was the mixed colour Polyanthus. I planted them in large pots which were full of spring/summer flowering bulbs in a dormant state. Of course the bulbs all pushed there way through giving a really good display. The Polyanthus have never stopped flowering since (Even through the Summer) I planted them in September 2019.
Other plants still flowering are a pink Lavatera bush, some Pinks and Carnations,a pink Chrysanthemum,heather and various Heuchera and Cineraria Maritima with its silver foliage.

My latest acquisition is a winter flowering Honeysuckle bush which I have yet to plant out.It supposedly flowers on the stems before the leaves arrive, so will be planted close to the kitchen window.

[burnie]

I still have 2 Roses flowering, we have had frosts, but they are definitely flowering later, is it likely that with climate change we may need to re-think what we consider are the seasons for some plants?

[Babru]

My mum regularly had roses flowering in December, Burnie. She was in Prestwick, which has a mild climate, but some years winter is milder than others anyway. Nothing worse than a year where the weather turns bad in October - it makes for a heck of a long winter.

I've been so grateful this year, of all years, that it's really only started being wintery in December. I cut my last little mixed posy of flowers for the house a couple of weeks ago, so for long flowering into autumn I'd really recommend penstemons, chrysanthemums and dahlias. I agree about the polyanthus Snadger, they do go on forever. I passed a winter honeysuckle yesterday and had a sniff at the flowers, so you are in for a future winter treat.

The other fab thing about the weather keeping mild is that I've been able to meet friends and family. Not many winters you can sit outside cafes in Edinburgh in November!

[DannyK]

Cyclamen hederifolium will over the years spread everywhere, plenty of bangs for your bucks. It'll occasionally sport to white.
Honeysuckle Winter Beauty has scented flowers for next month or two plus bumble bees.
Winter Box just coming into flower with ver strongly scented flowers.
There's quite a few winter flowering clematises. Armandii is scented. The flowers on mine are about 30 feet up!
Callicarpa profusion has loads of small purple berries which birds like.
My loquat is in flower, strong bitter almond scent with occasional fruit. It's a bit big though! Grown from pip.