Cyclamen rohlfsianum

A first for me.  Although I once grew a couple of plants that I was gifted, this is the first time in thirty five years of growing dwarf bulbs and cyclamen that I have raised this rare plant from seed.   It is quite tender, not surviving more than a light frost.  The plants I had previously succumbed to the big pre-Christmas freeze in 2010 when I lived in Norwich.  Here on the west coast of Wales, I did bring some of the plants into the porch for a few colder nights last winter but all have survived.  hard frost is the real rarity here!   Cyclamen rohlfsianum grows wild in Libya at up to 540m above sea level.  Fortunately it is both very long lived and sets good seed in cultivation.  My seed came from the Cyclamen Society seed exchange in 2020.  The flowers have exserted stamens - that is they stick out of the nose of the flower.  The species can make quite large leaves which are often attractively marked.

I started the day in Shropshire where the weather was of the 'staying indoors' variety so after working out a couple of technical things on my laptop with Iain's help, I set off home before lunch.  Having picked up a sandwich in Welshpool, I stopped at Sue's on the way down the valley to Tywyn.  We sat outside and talked folk songs over a cuppa before proceeding to sing a few too :-)   

Back home just in time to cook and eat Toad in the Hole for tea before choir ... I was late but only missed the warm ups.  Think my voice was still warmed up after our afternoon singing!   A full but most enjoyable day.