Cyclamen coum Pink with Grey Foliage

This selection of Cyclamen Coum is characterised by a flowering in a pink shade of red and rather large heart-shaped leaves with a velvety grey colour. It is a small, hardy plant that blooms as early as February, bringing some colour to the garden when other flowers are scarce. Its beautiful foliage develops in autumn and remains until late spring. It dries up in early summer when the tuber enters a period of dormancy. Plant it in partial shade or shade, under deciduous trees, along a path, in a shaded rockery, where it will slowly spread to form a beautiful carpet.

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

Cyclamen Coum has given rise to numerous forms with varied flowers and foliage, including this pink variety with grey 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 pots. We are offering them exclusively today.

The tubers of Cyclamen Coum are round and compressed, measuring up to 6.5 cm in diameter, covered with a smooth and velvety "skin", and have roots originating from their centre and base. The foliage generally develops in autumn after a dry summer. It may sometimes appear at the same time as the flowers in January and February in cool and humid climates. The rounded leaves measure 4 to 5 cm in diameter. The variety presented here is very uniform, greyish-green, slightly elongated, and undulated. The foliage disappears as soon as the soil dries up in June, and the plant goes into a resting phase. This variety is resistant to our average winters, but a layer of dead leaves will be beneficial in case of prolonged frost.

The flowering of the pink Cyclamen Coum with grey foliage occurs between mid-February and the end of March, depending on the climate. Initially lying on the ground, the pointed flower buds straighten up on reddish peduncles. Each flower, quite stout, measuring 1 to 2 cm in length, comprises five pink-red petals with rounded edges, curving backwards. 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 to enhance the base of a deciduous tree in an understory soil, with the Christmas rose, for example. It is resistant to cold, 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 partially shaded rockery, not too dry, in the company of blanda anemones 'Blue Shades' and hepaticas, for example. To have two flowering periods, plant Cyclamen cilicicum and Cyclamen de Naples, which flower in autumn.