I love the idea of growing swathes of autumn-flowering cyclamen in my garden. Could you please share some tips on how to encourage it to naturalise? Sheila Flannery, Co Cork
Autumn cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium), also known as ivy-leaved cyclamen, is a really pretty addition to the garden at this time of year, forming low clumps of heart-shaped, often daintily marbled leaves topped with small, delicate, upright pink and white flowers.
In a mild autumn/early winter, this hardy perennial species will continue to bloom right up until late November, while its ornamental foliage adds further interest to the garden for many more months before eventually dying back in spring. A bulbous species, autumn cyclamen can be planted as corms (shallowly, smooth side down) or, better again, as young pot-grown plants already in active growth.
Despite this Mediterranean species’ reputation as a shade lover, it’s quite happy in full sun, so long as it’s growing in a sheltered spot and a fertile, humus-rich but free-draining, slightly acidic to neutral soil that doesn’t ever become waterlogged in winter. In poorer soils, it’s a good idea to amend these with the addition of home-made garden compost or leaf mould.
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Autumn cyclamen can be grown along the uncut margins of a lawn or beneath the cool, dappled shade and canopy of established deciduous trees and shrubs.
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As is true of any bulbous species that you’d like to encourage to self-seed and naturalise over time, it’s important to avoid disturbance to the plants and to encourage the development of baby seedlings through minimal mowing and zero use of lawn weedkillers, especially in the months immediately after flowering when the ripe seed is setting and germinating. Both insects and garden birds also play an important role in the distribution of the ripe seeds, another reason to garden organically.
