One of the thrills of botanising in the limestone ranges of Europe is to find the sweetly scented Cyclamen purpurascens. It can be found in, both deciduous and mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland flowering over a lengthy period from June through to August. I recall finding it, in fine form in coniferous woods on the steep slopes above the shores of Lake Garda. Whenever I came upon it I would be down on my knees, savouring the strong perfume.

I have also found it growing in more open sites on rocky embankments in the Karawanken range, as well as in the foothills of Triglav. The dark rose-red flowers vary little (with a few washed-out pinks, occasionally spoiling the show), in my experience, but the kidney to heart-shaped foliage is extremely variable and may sport some conspicuous leaf markings, at their best even silvery in colour.

If growing plants can be purchased, choose your forms carefully. You may be lucky and come on an albino form for which a higher premium will be asked! Dry corms will take a while to establish properly although I find that they settle down well when acclimatised in sand to begin with. Cultivating pot-grown plants is significantly more straightforward and I certainly prefer to plant it amongst pieces of rock (preferably Dolomite limestone) in a humus-rich soil in part shade, perhaps on the leeside of a shrub or amongst the dwarfer members of Pinus mugo and P. strobus aggregate.

Watch out for the mature seed capsules, which take a year to ripen and you can either sow the seed or distribute it around the plants. I have yet to succeed in collecting seed and the tubers are not yet mature enough to expect a natural self-seeding. Patience is a virtue with this species and a regular mulch of well-rotted beech leaf mould mixed with pine litter will help plants to bulk up. The pictures will show how patience is rewarded.

Sources: Ashwood Nurseries: www.ashwoodnurseries.com
Tile Barn Nursery: www.tilebarn-cyclamen.co.uk