Last year, I tried growing cyclamen from seed.
Spring came and went and I saw no evidence of success; only empty pots topped with chicken grit. I set them on my potting table outside and left them to do what they would. Deep down, I believed I was merely procrastinating at composting their remains and sanitizing the pots for something else.
Last week, I happened to glance down at the table as I passed by.
A single leaf of Cyclamen coum emerging from beneath the gravel
A seedling of Cyclamen coum emerging! I studied it for perhaps five minutes before I convinced myself it wasn’t a weed. And then I noticed something else: I seem to have two (count ’em!) seedlings of Cyclamen rohlfsianum coming up.
Two seedlings (the one on the right is really tiny) of Cyclamen rohlfsianum.
I’m delirious with excitement. I intend to keep my hands well off them for some time until they appear resilient enough to cope with me. I will also leave the other pots to see if they’re thinking similarly…Bittster, how long should I give them?
MissingHenryMitchell 
Well done! The great thing about growing Cyclamen from seed is that when the first little leaf appears you can’ t mistake it for anything else.
Thank you, Chloris! It is a thrilling experience, absolutely. I could hardly believe my eyes.
Wow! What a surprise, I just wanted to see if I could catch up on a few of my favorite blogs and didn’t expect this at all, congrats!
Some people say three or four years isn’t too long a wait…. I have far less patience and would move on come springtime! What are your plans for these little guys? I believe you have a coldframe, don’t you? The rohlfsianum looks cool but I think it’s not nearly hardy enough for my neck of the woods.
Thank you!
I’m not sure I could wait three or four years, either. If nothing appeared after a year, I’d probably dump the remains in the spot where I wanted them and hope for the best.
I am slightly superstitious about tempting fate, but assuming they continue to grow I’ll plant them in a spot facing my rain garden. There’s a dryish zone behind a low brick wall beneath a couple of large oaks. A mixture of leaf mold and gravel mulches the spot–I hope I’m creating a bit of an alpine-like environment. Shady, cool(er), and dry in summer, sunny and well-draining in winter. And, most importantly, visible from the kitchen and bedroom windows.