Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium) - Care and Cultivation
VARIETIES OF LADY'S SLIPPER
Greater yellow lady's slipper
Lesser yellow lady's slipper
Cypripedium calceolus Pink Lady Slipper Orchid
Cypripedium acaule
Paphiopedilum
Japanese Lady’s Slipper
GROWING GUIDES
- Achillea
- Carnation Rust
- Colchicum
- Coreopsis
- Crocus
- Darwin Tulips
- Echinops
- How to Grow Clematis
- Greenhouse Fuchsia
- Growing Lavender
- Hardy Cyclamen
- Hardy Fuchsia
- Hebe
- Hibiscus
- Hippeastrum
- Hollyhock
- Honeysuckle
- Hyacinth
- Hypericum Reptans
- How to Grow Hydrangeas
- Petunia
- Pruning Honeysuckle
- Pruning Shrubs
- Sweet Peas
PLANT SOCIETIES
LADY'S SLIPPER ORCHID (Cypripedium)
The
botanical name (Cypripedium insigne) of Lady’s
Slipper, when translated, means Notable, an excellent name,
for this is a most notable orchid.
Each Lady’s Slipper flower has a large greenish pouch and, behind this, a sepal, broad and upstanding, and three radiating petals.
The pouch of the Lady’s Slipper flower traps insects so that they have to crawl up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollen. This ensure that the flower gets fertilised.
HOW TO GROW LADY'S SLIPPER
Lady’s Slipper is an easy orchid plant to grow in a compost of two parts of good loam, one part of chopped sphagnum moss and one part of osmunda fibre.
Lady’s Slipper orchid plants should be potted just like any other greenhouse subject and grown in a cool greenhouse, temperature around 45 to 50 degrees Farenheit in winter, with no artificial heat in summer.
During summer months Lady's Slipper plants should be shaded from hot sunshine.
They should be watered freely in summer, moderately at other times.
VARIETIES OF LADY'S SLIPPER PLANTS
There- are many garden varieties and hybrids of Lady’s Slipper, some magnificent and expensive, but many quite modest in price.
In addition there are several hardy Lady’s Slippers which will thrive in cool, leafy or peaty soils and partially shaded positions.
The British Lady’s Slipper (C. calceolus) is a rare native with yellow and purple flowers, the Japanese Lady’s Slipper (C. speciosum) is rose-pink and white.
PROPAGATION OF LADY'S SLIPPER
All kinds of Lady’s Slipper, both hardy and tender, can be increased by careful division at potting or planting time.
OTHER USEFUL ARTICLES ON GARDEN GROWER
Advice about how to grow Lady's Slipper Orchid. Propagations care and cultivation of Lady's Slipper Orchid.