Current obsession: Cut Cyclamen

These frilly beauties are holding my attention these days.  Cut cyclamen used to be a thing many years ago but faded from glory and I haven't seen them around in a very long time.  And suddenly they are back.  I noticed them on the dutch auction I buy from weekly and was intrigued enough to order them in, even though the lot size is rather high.  I am so glad I did.  They look like butterflies on stems, so frilly and pretty.  The colours range from pure white through shades of pink and into red.

They have a different set of care instructions than most of the blooms we carry.  Unlike other flowers, they don't want any preservative in the water at any point ( we usually use a hydrating preservative and a holding solution at the shop).  They also need to be cut differently, with  a single slit running vertically into the stem about 2 cms from the cut end, to help the flower take up enough hydration.

 This quick video ( less than a minute) shows some great close ups of the different colours ( Mute the sound though, the music is very cheesy!)

Apparently these beauties will last 2 weeks as a cut flower in water ( not in oasis I am told) which is something I am eager to test through this winter. 

Don't blink though, cyclamen are only available from late November through till mid January.