Terrestrial Orchids

[McDonough]

Oh, that's too bad Amy, to have lost such a treasure.  Do you think it was winter cold that did it in, or something else? 

Another nursery I'm looking to purchase from is Hillside Nursery in Shelburne Falls, MA.
Here's a link to their Cypripedium offerings.
http://www.hillsidenursery.biz/orchids/index.php

I'm encouraged by how the Cyps have done here, that I'm willing to shell out $40-$60 each to get a few new cultivars or hybrids in the garden.

[Hoy]

I have tried Cyps thrice and only one plant still survive  I think it is more than one reason that I haven't succeeded - slugs, climate and maybe soil conditions. But I am inclined to try again! However, not many nurseries sell these here so I have to import and that is not cheap

[AmyO]

Oh, that's too bad Amy, to have lost such a treasure.  Do you think it was winter cold that did it in, or something else?  

I'm not sure why it died....I posted a pic of it in bloom here and it was looking really gorgeous and healthy, the following winter was quite snowy so it had good protection. Perhaps it was too wet through spring?

Another nursery I'm looking to purchase from is Hillside Nursery in Shelburne Falls, MA.
Here's a link to their Cypripedium offerings.
http://www.hillsidenursery.biz/orchids/index.php

I bought two Cyps. from Peter at the NARGS AGM in New Hampshire last June and have planted them in a different garden with morning sun instead of afternoon as before.....so we'll see. I followed the Cady's Falls planting directions.

[Tony Willis]

a tiny terrestrial flowering for me now.

It has very nice leaves.

Hemipilia sp.

[Hoy]

a tiny terrestrial flowering for me now.

It has very nice leaves.

Hemipilia sp.

I would say the leaves are the nicest!

[Gordon]

I am late to this thread on terrestrial orchids. Regarding Cypripedium acaule, I believe that Fraser's Thimble Farm Nursery in BC has been successful getting plants growing artificially- see http://www.thimblefarms.com/cypripedium.html

Last year I moved my Cyp reginae to a better location. Hopefully being close to a pond will give it an extra boost this year. It will have a few really nice companions as well- Platanthera lacera, Platanthera psycodes (or Platanthera grandiflora), and Lysichiton camtschatcensis along with a few seedling Japanese iris. If all goes well, I ought to be able to take a few photos to share with the group.

[McDonough]

Gordon, thanks for the tip on Cypripedium acaule on the Thimble Farms site.  Even though this species grows in the woods nearby, I've never had luck growing it over the long term; maybe the revealed formula is the key.

When I was a boy at around age 10, I first came across Habenaria psychodes (as it was named in those days), and would go visit each spring to see this fine fringed orchid, and other nice woodland plants like masses of Clintonia borealis, and the aforementioned Cyprepedium acaule.  You'll have to show us some photos when your plants are in bloom.

Plantanthera psycodes
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PLPS2
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=PLAPSY

[Gordon]

Hi Mark,

I'm just hoping that everything survives the wild temperature swings we have been getting over the past week, and into the week ahead  (+9 c today, -7 tomorrow, and down to a high of -12 c by Thursday).

From what I have read, Cypripedium acaule requires an extremely acidic medium for its root zone. I've heard of folks amending the plant site with masses of pine needles to drop the pH as far as possible. I remember visiting a patch of them as a child, seeing them growing in rock crevices filled with mosses and the like. To be honest, I thought they'd perish from drought, but I guess these spots collected enough rain runoff to keep the plants happy.

[cohan]

Hope your new plants do well, Gordon- we have those temperature swings here as well, but it's quite normal-- we were above freezing part of the week (+12 some days ago) with a high of 15C today...

Here are a couple of pics of our local Spiranthes- S romanzoffiana-- I have more and better pics somewhere, but this is the first set I came across. I know them from two sites nearby, though there are surely more. They used to grow on the farm, but have been shaded out over the years as woodies etc grew up.
Both sites are on roadsides and in the ditch in one case, moist areas (though this site, right at the edge of the gravel road must get dry on occasions, even though it is wet just below the road). Soils are mostly clayey subsoils left after road building many years ago, and any humus layer must be very thin.. There are quite a few plants at both sites, and all  small, probably 15 cm more or less.
The last shot shows the habitat for this site, in the grassy verge with Parnassia palustris, Gentianopsis crinita, sedges, clover etc..

[Gordon]

Hi Cohan, tanks for the Spiranthes photos. There are a few species locally, though none on our property. I hope to add Spiranthes cernua var. odorata 'Chadd's Ford' to the garden, along with a handful of Dactylorhizas and Cypripediums over the next few years.

This year we seem to be having a Calgary style winter... snow, then chinook-like conditions- snow vanishes overnight, and the cold descends again. It was -18 C overnight- the coldest it has been since we moved here in 2009. There are a couple of plants in the garden which will have a real challenge pulling through this cold. Euphorbia 'Tasmanian Tiger' is out there, braving the cold, and I somehow doubt it will survive (rated zone 7-8).

Who knows what will pull through this winter... but I'm definitely looking forward to adding a few new gems to the place come springtime.

[McDonough]

Gordon, have you perused the hardy orchid offerings at Thimble Farms in British Columbia; the list of Bletilla is great (would love to try a hardy yellow one), but the vast list of Cypripedium is unbelievable, mouth-watering photos of most of them.  Considering what they are, the prices are within reason; I would gladly spring for trying a few.  Given that Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens does splendidly here, I would love to try more hardy cyps, including many hybrids that have this cyp as one of its parents.

Warning: viewing this page may induce diminishment of one's wallet and bank account
http://www.thimblefarms.com/cypripedium.html

[cohan]

Gordon- I guess it will be a good test winter for you.
I'm still awaiting time and new test plants here to tell me how things do with my winters- I have more persistent snow cover than Calgary, and hopefully that will help with some things such as woodlanders, but based on some of Lori's observations in Calgary, and my very early observations,  I suspect it will be a disadvantage with some drylanders that don't appreciate the extra moisture, especially during spring melt period.
-18 sounds very mild to me as a maximum low, so I'm sure you can grow all sorts of things that are out of the question here
Mark- Frasers T.F. does have some great stuff! I've never ordered yet, but looked at the list for years..

[Hoy]

Here are three of the lesser and one of the more flashy orchids growing wild "everywhere" although not at my acreage of course.

Coeloglossum viride, Corallorhiza trifida, Listera cordata and Orchis mascula.

[cohan]

Nice ones, Trond
Coeloglossum is listed for Alberta, and not uncommon- but if I have seen it, I did not distinguish it from the great numbers of greenish Platanthera- quite possible, since google shows me some plants which do not have that extra bit of colour yours seem to, but rather do look like the many green bog orchids here (which I do like, but very common and not showy, so they don't get the attention of a Calypso!)
Listera cordata is also listed for Alberta, but not as many sites, and I'm quite sure I have not seen it..
Corallorhiza trifida is common on my acreage and around it- interesting, since I do not remember it at all from my younger years here..
Of course we have nothing like the purple Orchis...lol

[Hoy]

Coeloglossum viride is very variable in colour and the ones I picture are darker than most.
Listera cordata is very common in moist spruce forrests but do not flower every year. Some years they are everywhere other years you don't find any.
Although you don't have Orchis mascula you do have Calypso!