Cyclamen Hederifolium 'Winter Cheer'

This is the first time I'll be growing Cyclamen from seed. The instructions say, grow August/September. Plant out following April/May and they will bloom October to December.

Is there any chance I'll be able to plant them out this year please. Other plants like Lupins have similar instructions but mine have always bloomed there first year having grown them in the spring.

 

Hmmm. Hope you are not going to be disappointed. If the seeds germinate (and dried ones sometime don't) then it normally takes about 16 months from germinating to flowering, sometimes longer.
I suggest you soak the seeds first, overnight in warm slightly soapy water to rehydrate them before sowing.

 

I have sowed quite a few Cyclamen in the past. In my experience, 2 years, often 3 is the minimum for flowering. They need to build up a decent sized tuber before they do so.

 

Which is why we mostly buy them as mature plants. I don't think I would have the patience,

 

Which is why I stopped with seeds too

Though I must say, it is a relatively cheap way of growing a number of plants, and getting some of the variability.

 

Is that the case with most bulbous plants? I've raised some Agapanthus and don't look like flowering this year and they're 2 years old.

 

Narcissus generally take 7 years to reach flowering, whereas Caloscordum will flower the following year after sowing.

 

Yes, I would say most plants don't flower until they have built up sufficient energy to do so.

 

Thanks for the info everyone, I will go ahead and sow and if I'm lucky might see flowers in the winter of 2013!