Growing hardy cyclamen
Cyclamen are propagated only by seed, this may partially account for the plants being free of the virus diseases seen in so many other popular garden plants. C. hederifolium are self-pollinating and set seed easily.
The flower stalks curl into a spiral drawing the seed capsule down onto the top of the tuber. When the ripe seed capsule starts to split, the seed can be collected and sown, or can be left for distribution by insects and birds. All cyclamen species mature their seeds in mid summer. Fresh seed is very sticky and it is best to dry them at room temperature for a few days so they will be easier to handle.
Best results are obtained from fresh seeds sown in late summer and early fall. They can be sown outdoors in a prepared seed bed or under glass. Outdoors, where the winter is mild they can be sown in late summer or early fall. Where winters are more severe, sow them in spring. Prepare the soil with lots of leaf mould, compost or peat moss, especially in heavy clay soils.
Outdoors: Place the seeds where you want them to grow, at least 3 inches (7.5cm) apart. Lightly cover the seeds with some peat moss and keep moist. They can be transplanted in the second summer.
Indoors: Seed can be sown in a commercial seed starting mixture or in a mixture of equal parts peat moss, and sand plus a little bone meal. The seed compost should be kept cool and moist, overnight temperatures should be maintained at 60 F (15.5 C) for best germination, until the seedlings emerge. Germination under these conditions takes place in 3 to 6 weeks. Prick off the seedlings into 3 inch pots of the same seed compost mix described above. Overwinter under glass or in a cold frame, with this method a full year of growth is gained over outdoor sowing. Plant out in their flowering positions in May or late summer.
