Eastern sowbread

Eastern sowbread: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A low tuberous plant 5–10 cm tall and 10–15 cm wide.

Leaves

Round to kidney-shaped, 3–6 cm, plain green or marked with silver, often red underneath; from autumn to spring.

Flowers

Small, 1–2 cm, with short, swept-back petals and a dark blotch at the base; from January to March.

Colour

Pink, magenta or white.

Tuber

Round and slightly flattened, with the roots on the underside; it grows a little larger each year but does not divide.

Fruit

After flowering the flower stalk coils up like a spring and pulls the round seed capsule down to the ground.

Flowering: January–March · Plants: March and September–October

Why grow it?

• Flowers from January to March, when the garden is almost bare.
• The round, often silver-marked leaves are an ornament in their own right from autumn to spring.
• Early bees and bumblebees collect pollen from it on mild winter days.
• Happy under shrubs and trees, where the soil stays dry in summer and little else will grow.
• Self-seeds and after a few years forms a colourful little carpet.

Eastern sowbread: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade or shade, for example under deciduous shrubs or trees.
• Well-drained, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Normally moist in winter and spring; rather dry in summer, as the tuber is then resting.
• Avoid spots where water stands or the soil stays wet in summer.
• Plant 10–15 cm apart, in small groups.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: Flowers at the same time and likes the same spot under shrubs.
• Winter aconite: Yellow next to pink and magenta, in the middle of winter.
• Hellebore: Large winter flowers above the small cyclamen.
• Witch hazel: Fragrant yellow or orange winter flowers above the carpet.
• Ferns: Fresh green in summer, while the cyclamen rests.

Eastern sowbread: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March and September–October.

1. Plant in March, as a pot plant in flower or in leaf, or in September–October.
2. Preferably buy nursery-grown plants in pots: dry tubers establish poorly.
3. Loosen the soil and mix in leaf mould or compost; on heavy soil put some coarse sand at the bottom.
4. Set pot plants at the same depth as in the pot. Lay loose tubers 2–3 cm deep, with the rooting side down.
5. Firm the soil lightly and water.
6. Scatter a thin layer of leaf mould over the top.

Care

Watering

Water after planting. After that only during long dry spells in spring; never in summer.

Feeding

Not needed. A thin layer of leaf mould in autumn is enough.

Leaves

Let the leaves die back by themselves in late spring: this is how the tuber builds up reserves.

Seedlings

Let the seed capsules ripen if you want it to self-seed. Young seedlings can be moved in autumn.

Fallen leaves

In autumn, remove thick layers of tree leaves from the plants so they are not smothered.

Tip: Plant it under deciduous shrubs, where it is light in winter and stays dry in summer. Let the seed capsules ripen: ants spread the seeds and a little carpet forms by itself.

Eastern sowbread: when to prune it?

When: Cyclamen coum is not pruned. You only clear away dead leaves in May–June.

How:

• Leave the leaves until they turn yellow and fall away by themselves.
• Do not cut off spent flowers if you want seedlings: the capsule ripens on the coiled stalk.
• In autumn, remove thick layers of fallen leaves from the plants.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Collect the seed in June–July when the capsules split and sow it straight away in a pot of seed compost, lightly covered with fine grit. Stand the pot outdoors in the shade. The seedlings flower after 2–3 years.

Moving seedlings

Carefully lift self-sown seedlings in autumn or March with a small ball of soil and plant them elsewhere. Division is not possible: the tuber does not split.

Eastern sowbread: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• In hard frost the leaves and flowers go limp, but they recover as soon as it thaws.
• In winter, wet, waterlogged soil is a greater danger than frost.
• In a pot: keep it in a sheltered spot and protect the pot in severe frost.

Diseases and pests

• Vine weevil: The grubs eat the tuber, especially in pots: the plant goes limp and wastes away. Control the grubs with nematodes.
• Mice and squirrels: They dig up newly planted tubers. Lay a piece of wire mesh over them until the plant is established.
• Tuber rot: The tuber rots in wet soil. Choose a spot that stays dry in summer.
• Grey mould: Grey fuzz on leaves and flowers in mild, damp weather. Remove affected parts and choose an airy spot.

Through the year

• January: In flower. Bees on mild days.
• February: In full flower.
• March: Last flowers. Plant in leaf.
• April: The seed capsules ripen on coiled stalks.
• May: The leaves die back.
• June: Rest. Collect ripe seed and sow straight away.
• July: Rest. Leave dry, do not feed.
• September: Plant tubers or pot plants. A thin layer of leaf mould.
• October: Plant. The new leaves appear.
• November: Remove thick layers of fallen leaves.
• December: The first buds appear.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of cyclamen are poisonous, especially the tuber: it contains saponins, which cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, in children as well as in dogs and cats. If a dog or cat eats a larger piece of tuber, an irregular heartbeat and seizures can follow: call your vet at once. The flat tubers sit shallowly in the soil and grow larger over the years: watch out for dogs that dig, and keep loose tubers out of reach of children and pets. Wash your hands after handling the tubers. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• After flowering the flower stalk coils up like a spiral spring and pulls the seed capsule right down to the ground.
• The seed has a sticky, sweet coating that attracts ants: they carry it off and so sow the plant.
• The leaf markings can vary greatly from plant to plant: from plain green to almost entirely silver.