The generous flowering of the ivy-leaved cyclamen always makes me think of a cloud of little pink butterflies ready to take flight! It's a magical sight in the low sun of a fine autumn day like today...
Ivy-leaved cyclamen, a long-lived perennial, form charming flowering carpets from late August to the frosts
Also called ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium), this bulb native to open woodland is a hardy, undemanding perennial. Easy to grow, it naturalises by self-seeding to form large colonies beneath trees. In that dry shade where nothing else will grow, they thrive for decades; older bulbs can reach the size of a dinner plate...
Rich in stored reserves, ivy-leaved cyclamen become almost indestructible and reappear reliably each year from late August with their first flowers. Their leaves, however, do not emerge until flowering has finished, at the end of October, and form a groundcover in winter. To extend the display, plant them with Cyclamen coum (Cyclamen coum), which flowers in spring from February to May, and with small periwinkles (Vinca minor) whose dark green foliage will cover the ground in summer while the cyclamens are dormant underground, enjoying a well-deserved summer rest!
→ Discover our ideas and inspiration for pairing cyclamen in the garden.
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