PLANT OF THE WEEK

CYCLAMEN COUM Eastern cyclamen IF you like really dainty flowers, then take a closer look at this hardy cyclamen. This little hardy perennial sleeps through the summer and in winter pops up these beautiful warm pink flowers, barely a couple of inches over the deep green kidney-shaped leaves with subtle silver marbling. These are perfect for planting under deciduous trees. Plant tubers two inches deep in moderately fertile, humus-rich, welldrained soil. If you can, buy them to plant when they are in flower in a pot as tubers can dry out. Avoid excessive summer moisture as this may cause the tubers to rot. Mulch well after leaves die back.