Cyps in pots 2010

[Anthony Darby]

I've never had slugs attack my cyps (touch wood). Perhaps because most are surround by sharp gravel.

[Peter Maguire]

I've been taking some Cypripedium photos recently, all in pots, so this looks like the correct place to post them.  
Firstly a couple of mine from last week:
- Cypripedium formosanum has not done well for me this year - I know there's a lot of flowers (17), but there are fifty growing points in there, the flowers are all one one side of the plant and also some obvious aborted flower buds at the tips of some of the shoots. Also the flowers are sitting well down amongst the leaves rather than rising above them, something I've not noticed before. I changed my compost last year to 80% pumice and 20% leafmould, and it's either due to the change in compost, or the fact that early last summer my Cyps became to dry at one point, before I realised that the compost was veryfree draining. I hope it's due to the dry spell: the plants bulked up so well that I changed the mix to 50:50 pumice:leafmould  
- Cypripedium formosanum close up.
- Cypripedium 'Aki Light'; seems to be half way in colour between 'Aki' and Aki Pastel'. Maren asked about the short statured plants of 'Aki' from Edrom at the Malvern show - they're only sixty miles north of me, and my plant also flowered at 16in/40cms. However I find this clone tends to flop easily after its daily misting, it doesn't seem able to support it's own weight when wet.

[Anthony Darby]

Peter, I would suspect you are correct and that the aborted flowers are due to a lack of water.

[Peter Maguire]

Oh well, with fifty shoots this year, if I get the conditions right and if we get a good winter, I may aim to get it to the Glasgow show next year.

[Peter Maguire]

I had the opportunity to visit Alan Newton's garden earlier this week to photograph the Cypripediums he had in flower. The first of two batches from his garden.
- Cypripedium Inge
- 2 photos of a hybrid he has labelled as Cypripedium calceolus x cordigerum. I believe the cross has been registered as 'Karl Heinz'
- Cypripedium Paul

[Peter Maguire]

More of Alan's plants
- Cypripedium pletrochilum
- Cypripedium 'Victoria' ?? We thought that Victoria should have much more yellow in the pouch than this.
- 2 views of Cypripedium wardii guttatum. The flower is just over 2cms across.

[Slug Killer]

Peter

Last two don't look like any C. wardii I have seen before. They look more like C. guttatum.

My Cyp mix is a 90% equal mix of Pumice and Perlite with 10% bark and they seem to love it. Pumice on it's own does dry out quickly but the added perlite seems to solve the problem.

I have about 30 Cyp japonicum with very few flowering this year compared to last year. Can only put it down to the weather and the extended cold period.

[Peter Maguire]

Last two don't look like any C. wardii I have seen before. They look more like C. guttatum.

David,
That was my first thought on seeing the colour. However, I would say that the plant was very diminutive, more so than any guttatum I've seen, flowering at about 3 inches in height (I've appended the whole photo, which shows the edge of the pot, about 6inches in diameter if my memory is correct, and the tip of the label visible against the pot wall is less than 1cm across). Also the whole pouch of the flower was/is somewhat 'chubby', not a term that I would use to describe Cyp guttatum.
At least it's not my plant so I don't really have to worry.
Peter
PS. Having just reviewed Hans' pictures of guttatum over on the 'Cypripidums 2010' thread, I would also be more inclined to call it Cyp guttatum. The only problem is, who is going to tell Alan Newton he has another Cyp under a false name?  

Further addendum, for the nerds amongst us. On reading through Phillip Cribb's book (The Genus Cypripedium), some the features that mark it as Cyp guttatum are the lack of the incurved edge to the lip, and the prescence of two, not three or four leaves, I've changed the name on the original post to reflect this.

[Peter Maguire]

Here's my next Cypripedium to flower. I recieved it as Cypripedium mandchuricum x calceolus, but.... As I understand it, mandchuricum is an invalid name or the hybrid Cyp x ventricosum (macranthos x calceolus), and this plant looks a dead ringer for the first picture under Cyp x ventricosum on Frosch's website, except that the hanging lateral petals are not as twisted as 'typical' (whatever that means) ventricosum ,so there may not be any calceolus blood in there.
I'm inclined to call it Cypripedium macranthos. Anyone prepared to call it something else?

[Anthony Darby]

Peter, what ever it is it is absolutely stunning. I just love the colour.

[Peter Maguire]

Yep, it doesn't matter what we call it, I'd have to say it's a great plant, and this year I got to see the flower properly. It was just coming into flower last year when I had my watering problems. Hopefully two flowers next year!

[Anthony Darby]

Here's my patio with the two pots of cyps in flower, plus a close up of Cypripedium X Ventricosum.

[monocotman]

hi,
a few more plants have flowered recently and some of the hybrids may even be 'correct'!
First up is Pixi (calceolus x tibeticum). A good grower - third season flowering and already nine stems.
Unfortunately like quite a few other plants they have suffered from repotting last autumn. I'm not sure why.
The leaves were a bit 'streaky' (similar to a virus infection) this spring, though they've greened up well now.
I suspect that either:-
1. I don't water them enough over winter ( most years they receive nothing at all from November to March) or,
2. They need a bit of feed after repotting. They were just watered then left until spring this year.
The stems are smaller and leaves of several plants are smaller than last year and there are fewer, though bigger flowers.

The flowers of Pixi are deeper and more richly coloured each year and a really nice red-brown.
Regards,
David

[monocotman]

Hi,
second up tonight is Lucy Pinkepank (kentuckiense x tibeticum). This is the biggest hybrid I grow. The stems are thick and the the flowers huge. It isn't the most graceful plant going but it packs a punch. Slow to increase, it tends to put on just one new stem per year.
Regards,
David

[monocotman]

Hi,
third new one tonight is Birgit (macranthos x cordigerum) and probably my favourite. Bought off ebay three years ago it has grown well after spending a year re-establishing. Last year there were three immature growths and this year six with three flowering. It even looks correct for the cross. Flowers are smallish, about 'Michael' in size though the lateral petals are much bigger and longer. It should look quite impressive on a large plant.
Regards,
David