I Told You So

I predicted in this post that my Paphiopedilum malipoense might be in bloom on Valentine's Day. It's been open for several days now. I gave up on it flattening out any more and snapped this image. The petals on this particular one seem short this time.

Luxury Home vs. Rare Orchid: Who Wins?

We're all familiar with the story. Developer buys undeveloped land, rare plant or animal discovered, ugly battle ensues between environmentalists and in the end the rare plant or animal may or may not be saved for the moment. That's not what happened this time, according to a story out of glouccestershire.co.uk.

Builders of luxury vacation estates in Gloucestershire in England discovered the "nationally scarce" green-flowered Helleborine (Epipactis phyllanthes) on the spot where a 1 million pound (nearly $2 million US) home was slated for construction. After investigating the possiblity of moving the plants they decided to move the house instead.

It sounds like these developers, who apparently have a landscape and ecology manger, are a bit more in touch with the natural resources they're developing.

This isn't the first time nature has dictated terms at The Lakes. Nesting birds forced tree clearance to be postponed for months and a mature tree facing the axe will be protected after being identified as a probable bat roost.

A fence has now gone up around the rare colony [of orchids], which could become part of a nature trail.

Maybe it's easier to think this way when you aren't surrounded by a culture that believes in unlimited land resources.

The Long Wait

One of my favorite species of ladyslipper orchids is Paphiopedilum malipoense. This thing grows in the rugged limestone landscape of western China where it enjoys alternating seasons of dark wetness and bright dryness. It also doesn't mind being chilly for a stretch which is good since my winter growing area regularly gets below 60°F. I've been in love with it ever since I saw my first one towering on a ridiculously tall stem that still seemed to set the flower apart with proper respect. And it's fragrant. The scent is reminiscent of dusty raspberries.

But the real kicker with growing this species is how long you have to wait for the flower once you've discovered a bud. I usually record when I first spot a bud down in the leaves of a Paph and when the flower actually opens. Of the P. malipoense I've bloomed the time elapsed has ranged from five to seven months. This one may be in bloom for Valentine's Day. But it's so worth the wait for this ghostly green beauty.

Minnesota Majesty

As if in honor of my Minnesota guests last weekend a couple of my Cypripedium reginae were in bloom. The Showy Lady's Slipper or Queen's Lady Slipper, a temperate terrestrial orchid, is Minnesota's state flower. I got these plants several years ago and was surprised at how quickly they grew. They've done well for the most part and I seem to remember sending their seed to a lab at one time so chances are good that there are seedlings from my plants out there somewhere.

The news, however, isn't all good. Like my C. pubescens, this species is having a hard year in my garden. Of the five stems I have, one looks severely battered, probably from the storms we had a while back. Another two-stem clump got one broken off just after it emerged by a falling branch, the other pictured here was murdered by a rodent just the other day. Despite their delicate appearance I'm finding they're tough plants and have no reason to believe they won't recover and do better next year.

Ladyslipper Sadness

Last year my heirloom plant of Cypripedium pubescens developed some kind of fungus. In asking around I learned that this species can get overgrown and susceptible to disease. As I hadn't divided mine it's not too surprising what happened. All of the top growth turned black and died back. On digging up the plant to replace the soil and treat with fungicide I discovered the center of the clump was dead through the rhizomes. Desperate to save this plant I divided it as advised and planted it in half a dozen different places around my garden. The original plant, seen above as it was in 2004, had over thirty blooming growths on it.
Following our record snowfall winter it looks like among the five sites I planted it where it survived there are about a dozen growths. One bloomed this year. The flower was much smaller than they have been in the past, but I hope it's a sign the plants will survive and thrive once they get used to their new locations.

A Lovely Ladyslipper

Last year was a rough one for my most prized Cypripedium, but more on that later. It was also the first year this plant, a hybrid called Gisela, bloomed in my garden. It's a cross between the native small yellow ladyslipper and a very red species from Asia. Apparently it's an earlier bloomer than my other, native species since they are most just a few inches tall at this point.

Wine, Wine, Wine!

Here it is. Paphiopedilum callosum 'Perfection x Ninth.' Supposedly this is a species and not a hybrid, as indicated by its name. I'm not so sure, but it has impressed even my jaded eye. The image here doesn't do justice to the color and I'm sure if you're familiar with vinicolor Paphs you know what I mean. The real thing is quite amazing. Unfortunately to "real" orchidophiles the dorsal sepal has continued to torque as the bloom matures. Still, with this image it should be easier to get rid of when the flower drops. Did I just say that?