Cypripedium-2015

[Richard Green]

Ridiculous weather you are having in Cambridgeshire - the cyps in my unheated polytunnel are only just through the ground here in Scotland.....

[SteveC2]

The thing is that formosanum is always first to flower, by weeks if not months..  I have seen it on show benches in February.  This depends on how much winter protection you give it.  When I left mine with the others it sulked, though it survived.  Last year after a winter in my frost free greenhouse it flowered for the first time.  Now it has twelve shoots and eight flowers, which may not compare with David's, but then he is the Cyp God.
One question.  I am not overly impressed with my plant as the flowers are so big, and too heavy for the shoots to support that they face down to the ground.  Is this a species thing, do I have a poor clone or is it a cultural mistake?  I don't really like staking cyps, it looks so wrong.

Michael and Lady Dorine will be next to flower here, but not before late April / early May, but about half my plants are still below ground.

[monocotman]

Steve,
can you post a photo of your cyp formosanum?
Has the plant become a bit etiolated due to lack of light where it has been growing?
I have not come across this problem before.

Richard - formosanum is definitely an outlier species.
It is usually a month ahead of anything else and great for extending the season.
The most advanced 'other' cyp I grow is a hybrid Inge where the shoots are about an inch high.
I have nearly half the collection at present still in the garage with no visible shoots.
As plants get older and bigger I generally find that they become slightly earlier to develop in spring,

Regards,
David

[SteveC2]

Funny how taking photographs makes you look at things closely.  I have slightly misinterpreted the problem with my formosanum.  Part of the trouble is the dorsal sepal never stands up and so hides the rest of the flower so I think it is a clonal thing.  Still not impressed.
By the way, the leaves are no where near as yellow as the photo suggests.  This seems to be an issue with my camera.  A judge even commented on it the last time I entered some photos in a competition.  But of course he could not tell me how to correct it.

[monocotman]

Steve,

I'd agree with your assessment. It looks clonal.
will post a photo of  mine for comparison soon,

David

[monocotman]

as promised, the formosanum almost fully open.
The flowers look very similar to Steve's,
 it is just the leaves that are holding them up,
David

[angie]

as promised, the formosanum almost fully open.
The flowers look very similar to Steve's,
 it is just the leaves that are holding them up,
David

Lovely I had my first day looking at my Cypripediums. I think I have lost a few, I just haven't had the time to look after my plants ( family commitments ). Funny all the plants that I had got from Anthony Darby are still doing well. Anthony can you come back to Scotland and grow some more plants for me.

[SteveC2]

as promised, the formosanum almost fully open.
The flowers look very similar to Steve's,
 it is just the leaves that are holding them up,
David

Mine is growing on me David!  The dorsals have gone white but are still quite droopy.
Yesterday I saw one that Jeff Hutchins was taking to the European Orchid Show in London.  It had thirty plus flowers, with each dorsal standing bolt upright, although the flowers were much smaller than mine.  Am helping on his stand for the next few days so will post a photograph later for comparison.
Although I am not wild about my plant's flowers I cannot fault it's vigour.  Like yours it has bulked up massively in the last twelve months.

[Anthony Darby]

Lovely I had my first day looking at my Cypripediums. I think I have lost a few, I just haven't had the time to look after my plants ( family commitments ). Funny all the plants that I had got from Anthony Darby are still doing well. Anthony can you come back to Scotland and grow some more plants for me.

Wouldn't mind being back in Dunblane this Saturday. The Cathedral Choir are singing at a certain wedding, and a friend and former colleague is doing the music for the reception. When he was originally booked he wasn't told whose wedding, and that it was to be at Gleneagles!

[monocotman]

Steve,

Jeff probably has access to different clones of formosanum, being in the trade.
Interesting to see the variation that is present in the species.
I'd love to see a plant with 30 flowers.
Mine will definitely need a repot next autumn if I can find a suitable shallow pot.
Angie - I have lost three this winter, all species.
Unfortunately they were all rather choice - a tibeticum from Holger Perner, a segawai and one of
my two alba ventricosums.
Two of these could be put down to last year's non winter and the other who knows?
This is par for the course - I don't think I've had one year when I did not lose something over winter

David

[angie]

Wouldn't mind being back in Dunblane this Saturday. The Cathedral Choir are singing at a certain wedding, and a friend and former colleague is doing the music for the reception. When he was originally booked he wasn't told whose wedding, and that it was to be at Gleneagles!

Wouldn't mind going to Gleneagles myself. Cant imagine how much a wedding would cost there, scary I would think.

Angie 

[angie]

Steve,

Jeff probably has access to different clones of formosanum, being in the trade.
Interesting to see the variation that is present in the species.
I'd love to see a plant with 30 flowers.
Mine will definitely need a repot next autumn if I can find a suitable shallow pot.
Angie - I have lost three this winter, all species.
Unfortunately they were all rather choice - a tibeticum from Holger Perner, a segawai and one of
my two alba ventricosums.
Two of these could be put down to last year's non winter and the other who knows?
This is par for the course - I don't think I've had one year when I did not lose something over winter

David

I too would love to see 30 flowers and would be even happier if I had the plant  .
David not sure why I lost a few of mine. I also lost a few of my South African plants as well. I don't feel as bad now knowing that the expert has lost a plant or two over the years  . Looking forward to see pictures of your wonderful plants again this season.

Angie 

[Anthony Darby]

Wouldn't mind going to Gleneagles myself. Cant imagine how much a wedding would cost there, scary I would think.

Angie 

Fortunately neither the wedding nor the reception is at Gleneagles. Having your own hotel does help with the costs though.  I'm going to be visiting this page to see how cyps are doing this year.

[angie]

Anthony I too will be visiting this page, Looking forward to see everyones pictures of their cyps. Just great to watch the buds emerge and then show the beautiful flowers. I really love Cyps and this is thanks to you and this forum 

Angie 

[Nova]

as promised, the formosanum almost fully open.
The flowers look very similar to Steve's,
 it is just the leaves that are holding them up,
David

Stunning pot David! I wished mine is as vigrous as yours, bought it  last year and has not multiplied.
But very happy it survived the winter. These pretty ladies have some make up on their pouches