“October isn’t a month, it’s an ecstasy.” —Jack Kerouac

Some older pictures of various cyclamen to show why growing cyclamen is a happy obsession, and what this month can bring.

Cyclamen hederifolium growing in Hedera helix. Deep symbolism.

Not to draw the wrath of Nemesis on me or anything (it’s too late for that anyway), but bearing in mind Beth Chatto’s maxim, “Grow nothing not suited to your own conditions”, I noticed that the recent rain has brought Iris lycotis and its ilk out of hiding (with no “protection from summer rain” at all …..). Granted these have to be grown in cages to keep squirrels from digging them up, but that’s another story altogether.

Iris paradoxa var. choschab. I got this at the RMCNARGS chapter plant sale. Believe it or not. I said I already had one, and “someone else should get it” (I might have been fibbing), but people talked me into it. Okay.

The other I. paradoxa var. choschab.

Iris iberica subsp. elegantissima. This is good, really. It wasn’t until a month or so ago that I learned that a part of eastern Turkey was called Iberia, so this doesn’t have anything to do with Spain.