code: 523
it will survive low temperatures better if growing in relatively dry conditions
Family: Primulaceae
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 6 cm
Maximum Height: 10 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 10
With striking pink, then silver leaf markings, and flowers that are usually fragrant, this is one of the finer forms bred by Peter More of Tilebarn. In the wild, the original form of C. mirabile grows in an area of Anatolia with temperatures as low as -16ºC therefore its hardiness is not in doubt, mature leaves will go limp and recover when temperatures rise. However, it will survive low temperatures better if growing in relatively dry conditions and does well either in raised beds or around the base of trees or shrubs. C. mirabile is another species which enjoys decayed pine-needle litter incorporated into the soil, or compost if grown in pots.
Sowing advice:
Seeds should be sown at any time, and as soon as possible after you have received them. Sow the seeds thinly onto a gritty, loamy compost and cover about 6mm or 1/4-inch-deep as light can inhibit germination. Keep at between 10 and 15 degrees C. Germination can take from one to twelve months and is generally erratic, a strategy that has evolved to protect the strain in the wild. Pot on into a low-organic content compost.
Habitat:
Cyclamen mirabile grows in a typically Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and warm wet winters, from 150-1150m, in sandy or gritty soil from the (usually) underlying mica schist but also over conglomerate and occasionally limestone, in partial shade at the edge of evergreen oak scrub or rocks, in sparse coniferous woodland and sometimes deciduous woodland.
Cultivation:
Cyclamen mirabile is a frost hardy plant but does not thrive in the garden in northwest Europe, possibly because there is too much summer rainfall for it, which tends to rot the thick roots and tuber.
