At the end of this spring I planted and doubtfully waited for signs of life from some cyclamen bulbs. I even dug up a bulb in July to see if they were still in the pots. I am thrilled that the cyclamen have sprouted. Attached is a photo of the flowers and the stems. I thought it was interesting to see how the flower stems are curled in readiness.
Thanks Chimera I hope that I'll soon have a better home for these plants than these plastic #1 pots. The pots are fully exposed to the afternoon sun and because I was away much of the summer, the plants didn't get much water. I'm surprised that they survived.
Native to Mediterranean region, adapted to dry summers. The underground storage organ is a way to live through this period.
They seem to do well in the ground in our climate with some partial shade. Have a few under some small leaved deciduous trees and they don't seem to mind the root competition. Seedlings come up nearby , too. Yours appear to be C. hederifolium, some of the other hardy species are well worth growing and you can have cyclamen blooming nearly year round. C. coum, C. pseudibericum, C. cilicium, C. repandum , and C. purpurascens {evergreen} are interesting for additional blooming season and can be grown in the ground locally.
The two main hardy species for general garden use in climates such as ours are C. hederifolium and C. coum. Tubers of C. hederifolium can become startlingly large here over time.
Yes, 20-25cm {8-10"} spacing may work well. Seems they can be long lived, also, 20-30 years with hundreds of flowers and little maintenance. Great little plants.