White Cyclamen, Pansy & Ivy – Autumn Container Display (Milk Churn)

This ready planted milk churn brings together white flowering cyclamen, cool-toned pansies and trailing ivy foliage for a display that glows from early autumn right through to spring.

The florist's cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, opens pure white flowers above neatly marbled leaves, while the pansies add further colour in cool shades and the ivy trails softly over the rim of the churn, softening the whole arrangement.

It arrives already planted in its traditional milk churn container, ready to stand on a patio, doorstep or porch. Give it a sheltered spot in partial shade, out of cold winds, and keep the compost lightly moist without letting it sit wet.

This is a seasonal display rather than a permanent planting: the cyclamen is tender and will not survive a hard or prolonged frost, so treat the arrangement as giving one season of colour from autumn into spring. The pansies and ivy are hardier and can be moved into the garden once the display is over. The cyclamen's tubers should not be eaten, and the ivy's sap can irritate skin and is harmful if eaten.

Cultural Information

• Growth Habit: A mixed planting of upright flowering plants and trailing foliage in one milk churn container
• Perfect For: Patios, doorsteps and porches in partial shade
• Foliage: Trailing ivy foliage
• Flowering Time: Autumn through to spring
• Flower Colour: White cyclamen with pansies in cool colours
• Planting Position: Partial shade, sheltered from cold wind
• Hardiness: Not hardy as a whole; the cyclamen is tender and is damaged by a hard or prolonged frost
• Maintenance: Water when the compost begins to dry, avoid waterlogging, and remove faded flowers as they go over
• Seasonal Interest: Autumn, winter and early spring