Wednesday 7 January 2015

Colour In January

You may remember that a couple of years ago back in 2013, I treated myself to a new plant each month. I purposely bought each plant in flower, the idea being that I should then have something blooming in the garden every month of the year. This was actually one of the late Geoff Hamilton's tips.

In January 2013, I treated myself to five cyclamen, three were pink, one red and one white. They were advertised by the nursery as outdoor types, though I know nothing about the different varieties myself so I don't know which variety they are. This is the red one, still blooming away in my garden now.


Unfortunately, I've lost three of the plants. I wonder if all five were the same variety as their leaves differed. I'm not sure if the different types have different leaves or not. This is the photo I took of them when I bought them, you can see what I mean here.


There is another survivor but it hasn't flowered this year, I'm not sure which colour it is but its leaves are very different to the red one.


At least there's a little splash of colour in my garden in the depths of winter.

40 comments:

  1. What a great idea, sounds good plan for this year. I will put a price limit on each purchase, thank you.

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    1. I enjoyed choosing my plants each month back in 2013. I hope you do decide to give this a go, it will be interesting to see the plants you decide on.

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  2. Brilliant idea, and the splash of colour is lovely, such a shame the others didn't survive. Wont be that long before the bulbs will be putting on their show too. xcx

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    1. I've got bulbs pushing their way through now, as you say, it won't be long until they're showing their colours too.

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  3. What a fantastic idea to treat yourself to a plant in flower every month - I may have to steal it, it is so good :-)
    Your cyclamens are looking good, they look far too exotic to be blooming in an English winter garden. I have some which have been solidly in flower since late October.

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    1. It's such a simple idea to buy a plant in flower each month, it makes for a colourful garden the whole year round. Cyclamens are exotic looking flowers. This is the first time I've grown them in the ground, though I've grown them in containers and hanging baskets before.

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  4. I think that you are lucky that one survived. I'm very sceptical about claims that they are hardy outdoor plants

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    1. These two have lasted for two years now so they haven't done too badly so far, I just wish that they were both flowering.

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  5. Lovely to see a small shot of colour in the garden at this time of year.

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    1. It is. The bulbs will be flowering soon and then there'll be even more colour.

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  6. I love cyclamen.....lovely colour during the short days of winter.
    They do not like to be wet for prolonged periods, in fact, it can rot the crown. You may have lost one to that perhaps ??
    The best position, I have found, for most cyclamen is beneath deciduous trees.
    They will seed if happy :)

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    1. They come in such vibrant colours that they really stand out in January when the days are rather bleak. I suppose they get a little protection if they're planted under deciduous trees, these are in an open border so perhaps they have rotted.

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  7. Are you going to go through all your purchases as the months go by? I'd love to see how they're all faring.

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    1. I'm afraid that there's none to show in some months as some have done better than others, but I'll show the ones I can.

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  8. What a lovely idea...........I am off to the garden centre.......

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    1. I really enjoyed buying a plant each month through 2013, unfortunately, quite a few haven't survived, but some have so I'll focus on those hardy little souls.

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  9. A welcome splash of colour Jo and although one hasn't flowered so far this year it has most attractive foliage.

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    1. I love the foliage of the one which hasn't flowered too. I think it's earnt it's place in the border through that alone.

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  10. It's a shame that only two survived. They certainly provide some welcome colour for this time of year. Flighty xx

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    1. I'm just grateful that at least a couple survived to provide some colour in January. They're quite cheap plants so I suppose they're easy to replace.

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  11. When I've bought cyclamen coum and hederifolium I've noticed quite a bit of variation in leaf pattern, even in the same 'batch' as it were. Perhaps these newer varieties are the same.

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    1. I suppose they could be the same type then. There's some really pretty foliage in some of the plants.

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  12. I have a dream of one day owning a huge bank of Cyclamens - like the ones you sometimes see at a stately home.

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    1. That would be lovely. Sadly, there's not enough room here for that.

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  13. Like you, I know there are indoor and outdoor varieties, but I have no idea how to tell them apart I am afraid. I hope that the other one blooms for you, and hey, at least it has leaves, so there is always hope for flowers! xx

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    1. It might just be having a rest this year. At least it hasn't died so there's always hope.

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  14. The colors are beautiful. Happy New Year. Catherine xo

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    1. The red and white are my favourites, I'm hoping that the one which hasn't flowered is the white one, it could very well be. Thank you. Happy new year to you and yours too.

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  15. That's great, that we treat our self to a new plant each month. So we will collect more plants everytime.

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    1. The idea is that there will be colour the whole year round in the garden as it can be a little dull here in winter. It's a great idea if the plants survive and it works.

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  16. It's great to have some colour in the garden at this time of year. We got a cyclamen as a Christmas present.

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    1. It is. Cyclamen are lovely plants and give more than just a splash of colour, they're so vibrant.

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  17. What a shame some died, good to see the rest though....what gorgeous colours! Here's hoping they'll self seed!.xxx

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    1. I'm always prepared for plants dying, many do in my garden. They haven't self seeded yet but I suppose there's time.

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  18. You are lucky to have some bloom at this time of the year. In my Ontario garden, we will have to wait till March. The earliest starts blooming under the snow. You actually have to carefully remove the snow accumulated over the winter to see it flower!

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    1. It must make it all the more exciting when, at last, you discover that first bit of colour. It always amazes me how resilient plants are, blooming in such conditions. You'd think they'd wait until the snow had gone but they're tough little things.

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  19. I'm sure that some must be hardier than others - that red is a gorgeous colour!

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    1. There are some indoor and outdoor varieties, but like you say, some of the outdoor ones seem hardier than others. The red ones and the white ones are my favourites.

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  20. It's amazing to me that you have color in your garden this time of year, Jo. My garden is covered in snow and ice. I know nothing about cyclamen except I love the way they look. Yours is beautiful! P. x

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    1. There isn't much colour in my garden in January so any small splashes are very welcome.

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