Cypripedium 2009

[johanneshoeller]

This winter I lost some japonicum, formosanum, plectrochilon, one pubescens and a very tiny parviflorum, but only those which I grew in pots. I think it was too cold. Outdoors no losses.
I have no seedlings, but in my garden I have just seen a lot of seedlings between my plants (calceolus, macranthos).

[Joakim B]

Nice to know the names and You have some interesting hybrids there Hans.
Nice work

Joakim

[johnw]

Just in bloom here the dwarf Cypripedium from Newfoundland.  Perhaps one of the intermediates of planipetalum

More manure helped!

johnw

[Anthony Darby]

Manure! Arggggh! That would be instant death to most cyps! The site must be quite dry?

[johnw]

Manure! Arggggh! That would be instant death to most cyps! The site must be quite dry?

Not particularly dry Anthony. The bed was re-done about 4 years ago. Have been top-dressing with well-rotted manure ever since I got them but gave them more last year.  I also do the Shortias, Hellebores and Soldanellas as the soil in this area is poor mineral.  A friend had the best stands of C. reginae I have ever seen and he used vast quantities of manure every year, they were in a raised bed over a very wet spot. So too his Meconopsis.

johnw

[Joakim B]

Well rotted manure is not so strong in nutrients as one would think. Much of the nitrogen has gone both with the breaking down of the "other substrate" (straw etc) and by the evaporation of ammonium from the breaking down of urea.
In the bags of cow manure one buys in Sweden there are even added nitrogen.

(If it is chicken droppings it is a different matter but I do not expect that to be manure. It is high in nitrogen as is all bird )

If the plants (crowns there of) does not have direct contact and the roots only if the seek them self deeper it is not as fare away from a "good garden soil" (manure = nutrients and organic matter (not that far away from leaf mould?) mixed with a mineral soil gives good drainage) that is also working for people. It is the Chinese spotted leaf plants and some very small others that are the really troublesome ones and having the nicer ones (in gardening sense) like parviflorum and reginae that is almost native to Johns area would make it less sensitive plants.

I think that the different conditions in different places makes it hard to have one right or wrong solution. I think there are some dogmas regarding these plants that have some points but might be overly strict.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Stephen Vella]

Like you Anthony I thought manuare would be the death of any Cyp but apparently a nursery in the States has the biggest stands of Cyp reginae I have ever seen out in the open garden and all they fed them with is well rotted cow poo, early spring.

There is all ways talk of manure and how it should not be used to fed Cyps as the bacteria may attack the Cyp roots, maybe in pots but out in the open garden i dont think so..any thoughts?

[Anthony Darby]

I wonder what Michael Weinert would say?

[johanneshoeller]

A wonderful Cypripedium (reginae x fargesii). This hybrid produced from an Austrian grower does not flower very well, but I have some flowers this year

[Regelian]

Very interesting flower, Johannes,  Is it larger than C. reginae?  Looks much 'fuller'.  By the way, how wet do you keep C. reginae?  I've read it prefers good moisture and shouldn't dry out.

[johanneshoeller]

This Cypripedium and its flowers are smaller than reginae. I grow these hybrids only in pots and keep them wet. They should never dry out! The leaves have excellent red spots, when the leaves appear.

[Stephen Vella]

Jamie,

C reginae is found growing in bogs in the wild.

In cultivation it likes to be kept moist in pots or in the garden. I've also heard that this sp when mature out in a garden setting tends to have roots com to the surface spaning out to almost a metre in search for moisture and nutrients just under composted leaf mulch.

[Joakim B]

Hans this hybrid is almost the reverse of Ulla silkens since the latter have the petals re-flexing ( going backwards) and this new one have the petals going forward almost holding the pouch. Well done with the growing. Many of these hybrids are very shy in flowering so well growing
Lovely strong colours as well.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Paul T]

Hans,

Gloriously furry!!  Really beautiful flower.

[olegKon]

First Cypripediums this year
1.Cypripedium macranthos
2-3.Cypripedium guttatum