Pot or outdoors

[Erik D]

This next week I'm probably getting some cyps from Laneside Hardy Orchids, tibeticum and fasciolatum. At first I thought of growing them in bed outdoors but I'm now having some doubts. I live in Sweden so winter temp and wetness would not be a big problem as the winters are cold and often snowcovered. The biggest problem outdoors would be that I have cats and from what I've read there feces could be lethal to these plants. The other alternative would be to grow them in a pot and overwinter them in my fridge. The soil I'm gonna use in both cases will be a mix of loam, sand,  leca balls and perlite, mostly the two latter.What do you think?

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Erik, I have several Cyps. in the garden. They are in the shade of bushes and I cover them with leaves in the Autumn. They do not always flower but look healthy. The only cats I have are other peoples, which I discourage.

[Tristan_He]

Hi Erik, I think it's not so much the faeces as the fact that Cypripedium compost is rather similar to cat litter and so might be attractive to cats to bury them. As Cypripediums hate root disturbance this is obviously not a good thing!

I have a cat and to avoid this problem have covered the roots with some pieces of slate. This seems to solve any cat problem - there has been no digging. It also helps to suppress weeds. Will post a photo tomorrow.

Tristan