Hardy Cyclamen in bloom

Over the years, I tried growing plants touted as Hardy Cyclamens a number of times, and every time, they failed to meet even my most modest expectations. Often, despite my trying a number of tricks, the seeds wouldn't germinate. The few that did never grew to flowering size. And when I tried the most sure-fired of methods—I planted the tuber-like corms—the mice and the chipmunks dug down and ate those tasty treats. A couple of years ago, I found a deal on cyclamen corms, so I decided to give the pretty little plants, species of which are native to many different parts of Europe, from the Mediterranean coast to the mountains, one last try. I planted them in the fall, and when they didn't come up the following spring, I gave a "what else is new?" shrug and forgot about the experiment. A year after planting, however, I got a wonderful surprise when the stunningly variegated leaves popped unexpectedly out of the ground. A week or so later, I was greeted by exquisite, shooting-star-like flowers that lasted almost until Thanksgiving. The leaves were still there the next spring, but died back to nothing in the warm weather. Then, I kept my fingers crossed and lived on Cyclamen hope. So far, the little patch of plants has rewarded my faith, and today, when I went outside to check on the rain gauge—nearly an inch, praise be—I was blessed with faith rewarded.