Cyclamen coum Meaden's Crimson - Green Foliage

This Cyclamen Coum stands out with its very bright pink-red flowering, enhanced by small round leaves of dark green with a touch of grey. This selection from the Cyclamen of the island of Cos is resistant to our average winters and easy to grow in partial shade in well-drained soil, rich in humus, and even dry in summer. It is a small plant ideal for adding a splash of colour to the garden in late winter, especially under large deciduous trees or in a slightly shaded rockery.

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

Cyclamen Coum has produced numerous forms with varied flowers and foliage, including this lovely variety, 'Meaden's Crimson'. Some producers have made it a speciality, notably Kwekerij Koen, which works on a small scale. Their nursery is located in Westland, Netherlands, an area of ​​intensive horticultural production. Kwekerij is passionate about hybridising botanical cyclamens: Cyclamen Coum, C. hederifolium, and C. purpurascens. They perform pollination on the parent lines with a brush, then collect the seeds, sow them, and then transplant them into pots. We are offering them exclusively today.

The tubers of the Cyclamen Coum are rounded and compressed, measuring up to 6.5 cm in diameter and covered with a smooth and velvety "skin," with 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 leaves, rounded with smooth edges, measure 4 to 5 cm in diameter. The 'Meaden's Crimson variety presented here they are a solid dark greenish colour. 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.

The 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, curved backwards, and a small, 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 feast on 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 brightening the base of a deciduous tree in woodland soil, with white hellebores, 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 blue shades of Anemone blanda and hepaticas, for example. To have two flowering periods, plant Cyclamen cilicicum and Cyclamen de Naples, which flower in autumn.