Cypripedium 2011

[Lukas H]

Hi there,

Now my Cypripedium season has started with Cypripedium formosanum. But C. henryi is also not that far away from flowering.

Both are in the conservatory. In the garden there are already several buds visible (japonicum, macranthos, flavum and several Hybrids)

Good growing

Lukas

[goofy]

good job, Lukas, nice color in the flower.

it seems to me,
that I have seen that cultivar one year ago in my garden 

my garden plants are not yet to see...............

cheers
dieter

[Lukas H]

Dear Dieter,

I am quite shure you have seen this marvelleous clone already. Very vigorous and adaptable! 

Greetings

Lukas

[chris]

here Cyp.formosanum is also the first in the alpine house, outside it is waiting for some weeks I think

[chris]

today Cyp.farreri opens

[Stephen Vella]

Lukas,

what potting mix do you grow your formosanum in? and is it any differant to the other species you grow?

Do you do anything to the soil out in the garden?

Im wanting to plant some of my macranthos in the garden but I want to get it right.

cheers
Stephen

[goofy]

today Cyp.farreri opens

nice pic Chris,
but unfortunately this is not "true" C.farreri,
it is a nice C. fasciolatum.

cheers

[chris]

thank you to let me now it is C.fasciolatum, I bought it as C.farreri but I read this must be a related species, I'm not an expert but the next one is Cyp debile now in flower in the greenhouse

[goofy]

hello Chris, farreri is a very rare species,
and I have not yet seen true plants last years from China imports.
(only true pics on chinese sellers sites) 

you can see, how it really looks like on Crustacare web site
http://www.crustacare.be/Plants/HomepagePlantsEnglish.html

you will state, that it is fairly different

cheers

[Lukas H]

Dear Stephan,

the formosanum is one of those few Cyps which I have potted in a more organic mix. This species grows very fast when once established. Therefore needs some fertilizer. And with a more organic mix (20% humus, 10% garden soil, 70% Perlite) the fertilizer is better kept.

out in the garden I use a different mix which is almost inorganic, so that I can leave the plants untouched for years without any compression of the mix (60% Perlite, 20% Seramis, 10% Garden soil (in my case pH of 8.2), 5% Sand and 5% humus) And with this mix I am successful in Switzerland with watering only when more than 2 weeks were without rain. I cultivate severel Hybrids (Gerhard, John, Gisela, Ingrid, Sabine, Emil, Inge, Piccolo, Ursel,...), Cyp flavum does very well, tibeticum, alaskanum, macranthos, calceolus (does not increase really), henryi, reginae (also a species which increases not that much in this mix), pubescens, kentuckiense (maybe lost due to stem rot), and with more acidic soil japonicum.

But in the end it is always a bit different to all growers. If you once have found a mix in which you are successful even other people say that this would kill your plants. It could do very well in your garden.

Just never forget the sharp drainage!

Hope this helps.


Lukas

[Maren]

Hi,

I've been going around staking my cypripediums. They had a sudden spurt of growth, which is quite welcome as I have a show on Saturday. Nothing in flower yet, they all grow outside in the open, so take a little longer to flower.

A liberal sprinkling of bird friendly slug pellets was applied also, and not a moment too soon, I collected 64 snails from the surface of the pots. They were just in their starting positions, but I beat them to it. I keep telling everybody to put out slug and snail defences by mid March. But will I ever take my own advice???

[yijiawang]

true farreri on cliff, ca.3020m, July

[monocotman]

amazing photos of farreri in the wild. Thanks .
I do hope that their inaccesibility means that they are still growing in situ!
Regards,

David

[Maren]

Wonderful picture of C. farreri. Where was it taken - approximately? and I promise not to go there and dig it up.

[yijiawang]

lol, yeap, they are in situ home now, cold wet cliff