Cypripedium macranthos

This clone is from the Lake baikal area of siberia. It has a very large flower.

Paph Avalon Mist

A while back I posted a pic of Paph Pinocchio x primulinum. This is the same plant; I've confirmed that its actual name is Paph Avalon Mist (primulinum x Pinocchio). Had the parent's names been reversed as I had originally thought, the flowers would have been darker in color. The photo (due to lighting) makes it look creamy; it's actually a bright white with some cream near the opening. I'll try to get a better pic soon. This is the next flower to open in succession after the one I pictured earlier. It has at least 2 more coming! The form and color are both far superior on this flower to the one it had open when I bought it a few months ago.

Change in Phrag Culture

I've repotted all my Phrags except Grande into a mixture of 4 parts paph mix (fine bark, charcoal, perlite) to 1 part PRO-MIX HP. This mix drains well but retains moisture. The rockwool is too hard to get, and I found it was too chunky and had to fertilize too often. Most importantly, it MOLDED! I've never had a bark mix mold. The Grande will be repotted as soon as I can get more mix.

Cypripedium Ulla Silkens

I never did post photos of this class A lady's slipper hybrid when it opened! It's still blooming now but the flower is fading. While I suspect this is a first-bloom seedling, the flower is surprisingly large and the color is great! It also has a great rosy fragrance.

Misc. Garden Photos

Here we have Pulsatilla 'Papageno' (Pasque flower), a new addition to the garden. I had hoped for a white one, but oh well...
Here is Iris pumila (dwarf bearded iris). I bought four small divisions three years ago and the expanded very rapidly... last year I divided the clumps and sold a couple divisions. This year I have four divisions that I'm selling, plus four large clumps in the garden. It's a great plant and a reliable bloomer.
This is Arisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-pulpit. I have three of these; this is my only purple form.
This is Lilium pumilum, coral lily. Its many attractive flowers give off a nice fragrance.

A Walk in the Garden

Here we have Fritillaria meleagris (checkered fritillary or snake's head) in the meadow garden, Pulsatilla vulgaris (Pasque flower) in the rock garden, and Aquilegia jonesii (Jone's columbine) also in the r.g. The Aquilegia pic was taken a week ago. It's now finished flowering.

A Walk Around the Garden...

Here we have Lilium pumilum (coral lily) in the new sunny border, Epimedium x rubrum (red bishop's hat) in the woodland garden, Helleborus orientalis (Lenten rose) in the shade border, Tulipa spp (hybrid tulip) in the meadow garden, and Muscari armeniacum (grape hyacinth), also in the meadow garden.

Cyps

Here are some photos of northern hemispheric temperate lady's slippers (Cypripediums). The first one is C. Ulla Silkens (flavum x reginae), which is in bud. The last one is C. acaule (pink lady's slipper), in flower. Both of these plants are in bud/flower a couple weeks early because they started into growth in a warm coldframe. The two in between are C. macranthos (from Siberia) and C. reginae (showy lady's slipper), in that order. The macranthos naturally starts into growth and flowers earlier than my other Cyps. It will flower in less than two weeks. The reginae is not supposed to start into growth until about 2 weks after other Cyps; this one was coldframe started. My other reginae are just peeking out of the soil. My C. pubescens are all starting to leaf out like the reginae shown here.

Cyps

The Cyps are starting to grow actively outside now. My new acaule is flowering; the new Gisela and pubescens are finished flowering. The other pubescens are starting to leaf out and the new reginae is leafing out. The other two reginae are just peeking up. The new Ulla Silkens (acquired this weekend) is in bud. The macranthos is forming a flower bud as it finishes leafing out.

A New Bed Under Construction...

These photos show my new front yard bed under construction. In front of the Cyp. pubescens (not seen in the photos) is a Cyp. macranthos which like the rest of my Cyps that have not been bought this year, is still emerging. Behind the shooting star is a Cyp reginae, emerging and newly bought. Behind the Arisaema is another Cyp reginae (not emerging yet) and behind that, the Cyp Gisela that was blooming last week (visible in the photos at the very back). The Arisaema sikokianum is the same one previously pictured in the greenhouse. It has not been planted, the pot only sunk in the ground, just like the Arisaema ringens pictured before. I grow all my Arisaemas this way (except A. triphyllum) and store them indoors over the winter.

Cypripedium pubescens & Dodecatheon pulchellum

More new plants, freshly planted. Last year when I photographed Cyp. pubescens in the wild, I noticed that it often grew with saline shooting star (Dod. pulchellum), another one of my favorites. I decided to plant this beautiful, full-sized plant with a pulchellum in my garden.

Cypripedium Gisela

As I said in my previous post, I have been shopping! These pictures were taken a week ago, but

I had some technical difficulties with the blog and couldn't post them. Gisela is one of the best lady's slipper hybrids for the garden. This is a particularly nice clone.

Arisaema ringens and sikokianum (variegated form)

The gardening season is now well under way, and I've been shopping! The top two photos show A. ringens, a large Asian species with very dramatic flowers. This plant is about 16" tall and at least 2' wide. The bottom two show A. sikokianum fma. variegata. This form occurs in nature but this is a named cultivar which is hard to find.

Test

Test

Spring Has Arrived

I can really feel that spring has arrived in the garden. The weather has been great lately, with highs in the 10-15 degrees centigrade range. As the soil warms, many plants are coming up; some such as the alliums and daylilies are developing rather quickly. I expect to have a show of flowers from tulips, snowdrops, and grape hyacinths (to name a few) at the end of the month and into May. So far it looks like it will be a great season!

New Plants

I got three new plants at the show this weekend: Phrag schlimii 'Wilcox' AM/AOS (first 2 pics), Phrag Sedenii 'Blush', and Paph Pinocchio x primulinum (last pic).

Pharg schlimii 'Wilcox' is a famoulsy misnamed clone that is over 100 years old. In reality it is guessed to be either Cardinale or Sedenii but its true parentage is unknown. As for my opinion, every Cardinale or Sedenii I've seen (except for ones labeled that way that are actually this clone) look nothing like this so I don't think it's either. It'll be interesting to see what my new Sedenii looks like when it blooms! Either way, this clone in my opinion represents the very best in Phrag breeding.

The primulinum cross is my first Cochlopetalum type paph so I'm quite excited about that, because I really like them. These types bloom sequentially and are nice and compact.

Show Pics 3

Paph Norito Hasegawa, Phrag besseae 'Wings of Fire', Paph concolor, Paph delenatii.

Show Pics 2

Paph Lola Bard, Cypripedium parviflorum, Paph Pinocchio x bellatulum, Paph Winston Churchill x gratrixianum

Orchid Show Pics 1

From top to bottom: Phrag caudatum (1st 2), Phrag besseae 'Fire Engine' x 'First Choice', Phrag schlimii, Paph Gina Short.