What's eating my spring cyclamen?

Spring Cyclamen (Cyclamen coum) is an early-flowering outdoor species. Like all hardy cyclamen, vine weevil larvae attacking the corm are the greatest danger. Slugs graze the silvery leaves and flowers in mild wet spells. Mice will dig and eat corms. Dry summer dormancy naturally deters many pests.

Larvae burrow into the corm base, causing collapse of the plant; adults notch leaf edges Drench soil with Steinernema kraussei nematodes in late summer or early autumn; inspect corms annually; avoid waterlogged soil which favours larvae

Holes eaten in leaves and petals; seedlings particularly vulnerable during wet late-winter weather Scatter ferric phosphate pellets; create grit barriers around clumps; hand-remove after dark; mulch dry to deter slugs in autumn

Corms excavated and consumed; most often in autumn and early winter when food is scarce Lay wire mesh flat over planting areas; use humane traps near affected beds; plant corms deeply (at least 3–5 cm) to make them harder to locate