Shade is where most flowering plants give up, which leaves the ground beneath small trees and shrubs looking dull for much of the year. Cyclamen coum prefers exactly those spots.
Its pink flowers look like little butterflies resting on petite stems, held above heart-shaped leaves that are attractive on their own. It blooms in early spring, from about February into April, and in warmer regions it can start in late winter, which means color arrives while the rest of the garden is still waking up. It’s also known as a very hardy plant.
Use it as a groundcover in a rock garden, along a walkway or under shrubs. Six bulbs brighten one shady pocket, and 15 can carpet a larger stretch. The darkest corner of the yard finally gets its turn.
