Hardy Cyclamen

I have been haunting the entry of the M'finda Kalunga Community Garden for several weeks now -- hoping to get inside their gates when it is still actually light out. But I've had little luck -- I find myself at work or otherwise busy during any of the daytime hours that the garden is open to the public. The reason I have been so desperate to visit is because I can see a wee patch of hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) blooming through the fence.


I finally gave in and took a photo of it, employing every bit of zoom that my camera would allow.

This is a sweety, dainty bulb that is hardy to zone 5 and blooms for up to two months each autumn. Cyclamen is derivative of the Greek work 'kyklos,' which means wheel or circle, and refers to the twisted flower stems of some Cyclamen species. Hederifolium refers to the variegated foliage of this plant which, thanks to my unfortunate schedule, is difficult to see in this photo.