Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (formerly known as Cyp. calceolus)

Base Price: $50.00

Intro:
These plants were rescued from road construction projects in Northern Minnesota. This species can grow in woodlands or moist grassy areas. It is native to several areas of the Northern Hemisphere and can also be found in parts of Europe and Russia.

Light:
This plant prefers east facing exposures or slopes with bright morning light and heavy to dappled shade from the noon hours and onwards.

Temperature:
This plant prefers temperatures as found naturally in the mid-west, New England, Appalachia, Oregon, Washington, coastal northern California and moist mountainous regions that have a real winter. These plants are deciduous, therefore tolerating temperatures down to negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and up to about 90 degrees in the summer. It is important to cover the plants after the first frost with oak leaves to protect the plants from freezing in the winter.

Humidity:
As nature provides it.

Water:
These plants only receive rainwater in nature but will tolerate well water with a mild mineral content. Keep plants moist at all times and never allow the soil to become totally dry.

Fertilizer:
Decaying oak leaves will provide a good deal of nutrition during the spring and early summer months. Fertilizer can be used at 1/4 strength every 3 weeks. Use Mir-acid if the soil is alkaline or if you have to water with well water. Otherwise use 20-10-20 Grow More Urea-free. We also recommend the application of dolomite limestone lightly dusted on the surface of the soil and watered in.

We also highly recommend Green Jungle Orchid Food, especially formulated to work with rain, distilled, reverse osmosis water or water low in alkalinity. Fertilize with Green Jungle every time you water.

Flowering:
This plant typically flowers in the spring months between early to late May. The flowers last about 3 weeks and have the fragrance of apricots. In order to encourage good flowers and growth, it is important to rid the growing area of competing weeds or other plants such as ferns. Cypripedium parviflorum can produce about 2.5 new growths for every old growth per year, eventually resulting in a large cluster of plants with several flowers.

Repotting:
This plant prefers to be grown in the ground. It prefers a 1/2 sand 1/2 peat moss mix with a little dolomite lime added in. They will also grow in a good loamy soil. If you don't have the right soil, you can build an artificial bog. Dig a hole 2' x 2' (or larger) x 12" deep. Using 2" x 6" cedar, build two 2' x 2' square frames. Line one frame with heavy plastic and drop it in the hole. Fill with clear sand (silica is best). Drop the other 2' x 2' frame on top of the first one and fill it with the potting medium described earlier. This will act like a bog, providing a constant source of moisture to the roots even during a drought. The upper frame will also act like a weed barrier keeping weeds with creeping rhizomes out. Keep the planting area free of competing weeds. In the fall, after frost, cover with a layer of oak leaves or a combination of oak leaves and pine needles 1½" – 2" in depth. In the spring, the growths will come again and flower, usually in mid to late May.