Sowbread

Cyclamen hederifolium

• Position: full sun to partial shade
• Soil: humus-rich, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: October to January
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  With their pretty, marbled, heart-shaped leaves and upright, fragrant pink or white flowers, these cyclamen have a long season of interest before disappearing below ground over the summer. The flowers of this autumn-flowering cyclamen often appear well before the leaves, which form a pretty carpet after the flowers have finished. Although they are usually planted in shade, these cyclamen originate from the Mediterranean, so are equally happy in sun. Plant them en masse in a woodland setting with ferns and other shade-tolerant plants or around the base of deciduous trees.
  
  
• Garden care: Plant shallowly in humus-rich, fertile soil. Apply a mulch of well-rotted leafmould around the crown of the plants in spring as the foliage starts to die back.