Winter hardy cyclamens

I've always enjoyed cyclamens, especially as a Valentine's Day flower, but haven't seen any in their natural habitats. We'll have to visit Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, North Africa, etc. some day!

Florist cyclamens have always struck me as gorgeous, but difficult plants to keep indoors in the winter (they don't seem to like heat, drafts, or excessive water). But I knew about hardy cyclamens (we have patches of them in the Garden) -- they're C. hederifolium, although a relatively unassuming variety.

Lecce window boxes

So seeing beautiful window boxes full of cyclamens in Southern Italy this December was surprising. They were one of the most abundant winter 'bedding plants' -- and definitely striking and in colors ranging from red to white.

A question in a program yesterday (about winter interest in the garden) got me thinking about the hardiness of cyclamens, and what species the ones we saw in Italy were, and why we aren't using them here in the Southern U.S. (it was certainly cold in Southern Italy, although I'm not sure about how common frosts are, etc.) My program participant had seen them used extensively in Houston, Texas, which must have a few freezing days each year.

In poking around the vast library that the web represents, I learned that there are ~ 20 species of Cyclamen, which vary a good deal in their hardiness. And I just now noticed that C. hederifolium is found in native habitats in Apulia (the region where Lecce is located). C. hederifolium is apparently quite easy to grow, and is certainly a winter-hardy species here.

An addendum-- there are LOTS of C. hederifolium varieties, which are commonly grown throughout Europe, as this book excerpt suggests.

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Pompeii

I wasn't too excited about visiting Pompeii; I had paid attention during art history class, but it sounded less than wonderful surrounded with Naple's sprawl and overrun with 1. 5 million tourists a year.

But an early morning visit in the off-season, staying in the renovated surrounding town, made it easy to imagine a vibrant city in the shadow of Vesuvius.

Pompeii street view

A remarkably large and well- preserved city, Pompeii, of course, deserves its reputation.

And following up with a visit to the National Museum in Naples to view the best mosaics provided a rare glimpse into life in a Roman city centuries ago.

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Winter travels

Even in the Southern US, we have gray wintery days. Today wasn't so cold, but overcast and dark. My gardening companion and I are preparing for our annual winter trip -- almost always somewhere brighter and warmer. There's not too much to get ready. Since we travel light, there's not much to pack, and after instructions to the housesitters, and saying goodby to Mocha, we're off.

A travel shop window in Southern England

This year, it may not be too much brighter and warmer, but will definitely be different than some of our previous winter destinations. We're heading towards Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and maybe Sicily. These Southern Italy destinations have me thinking about interesting seeds to buy -- hmm, great tomatoes, perhaps.... (I've gone to quite a bit of effort to sign up for a USDA 'small seeds' permit, so as not to repeat my unpleasant experience in May where all of the seeds I'd bought - retail commercial seed packets from Great Britain - many from Italy - were confiscated on my return. Hrrmph....)

But really, it's about exploring a new part of the world again -- this doesn't have much to do with natural gardening, but natural gardens. We'll see what the Mediterranean vegetation along the coast looks like, explore a few national parks, and experience Southern Italy in the winter.

And we'll see lots of gardening going on, too, I imagine!

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