Cyclamen coum Meaden's Crimson - marbled foliage

A version of Cyclamen Coum 'Meaden's Crimson' with marbled foliage. This cultivar, derived from the Cyclamen from the island of Cos, has the same cold resistance, allowing it to be planted in the ground in many regions. The flowers of this beautiful form are a deep pink-red and appear in late winter amidst a carpet of decorative leaves. The foliage emerges in autumn, persists until late spring, and disappears in summer. Provide this cyclamen with a semi-shaded position, for example, under large trees, and it will slowly spread to form an astonishing carpet.

Cyclamen Coum is a small perennial plant with tuberous roots in the Primulaceae family. It is not native to the island of Cos, Greece, but rather to the mountains of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Lebanon, specifically Eastern Cilicia, where it is typically found in shaded areas. This small species measures approximately 10 cm in height.

Cyclamen Coum has produced numerous forms with varied flowers and foliage, including this lovely white variety with green foliage. Some producers have made it their speciality, notably Kwekerij Koen, who works on a small scale. Their nursery is located in Westland, Netherlands, and is known for its horticultural production. Kwekerij is passionate about hybridising botanical cyclamens: Cyclamen Coum, C. hederifolium, and C. purpurascens. They pollinate the parent lines with a brush, then collect the seeds, sow them, and later transplant them into buckets. We are offering them exclusively today.

The tubers of Cyclamen Coum are rounded and compressed, measuring up to 6.5 cm in diameter, and are covered with a smooth and velvety "skin" and equipped with roots originating from their centre and base. The foliage generally develops in autumn after a dry summer. In cool and humid climates, it may sometimes appear at the same time as the flowers in January and February. The leaves, rounded with smooth edges, measure 4 to 5 cm in diameter. The 'Meaden's Crimson variety presented here is marbled with shades of green and grey-green. Their undersides are coloured purple-pink. The foliage disappears as soon as the soil dries out in June, and the plant goes into dormancy. This variety is resistant to our average winters, but a layer of dead leaves will be beneficial in case of prolonged frost.

Cyclamen Coum 'Meaden's Crimson' flowering takes place between mid-February and the end of March, depending on the climate. The pointed flower buds, initially lying on the ground, stand upright on reddish peduncles. Each flower, quite stout, measuring 1 to 2 cm in length, is composed of 5 almost red petals with rounded edges, curving backwards, and equipped with a small, very dark spot at the base. After pollination, the flower gives way to a small round fruit, with the floral stem spiralling to allow the fruit to come into contact with the ground. Ants, which delight in their sweet flesh, disperse the seeds.

Plant Cyclamen Coum by mixing the varieties in a carpet-like arrangement. They will multiply independently over the years, creating unforgettable scenes in the garden's somewhat shaded and dry areas, which are challenging to design. The cyclamen is a perfect plant for enhancing the base of a deciduous tree in an understory soil, with Hellebores, for example. It is cold-resistant, but its tuber fears excessive moisture in winter and summer and does not tolerate complete drying out in summer. It will find its place in a semi-shaded rockery, not too dry, in the company of blanda 'Blue Shades' anemones and hepaticas, for example. To have two flowering periods, the plants Cyclamen cilicicum and Cyclamen de Naples flower in autumn.