Ladyslipper's blooming!!!!! I can
soooo get used to this! It bloomed for the first time last year, and that was terrific. But I know how temperamental wildflowers can be...it took 3 full years before this bloomed, and there was one of those years I didn't even see foliage. But since I'm patient (
lazy), I didn't remove the marker or plant something else in the spot....and my patience (
laziness) was absolutely rewarded!
But I'm still somewhat surprised to see blooms 2 years in a row. I guess the growing conditions in the wild are iffy with regard to precip, so the ladyslippers just "rest" when conditions aren't right. But since I water this area regularly, I get this awesome performance!
Yay!
But I'm still somewhat surprised to see blooms 2 years in a row. I guess the growing conditions in the wild are iffy with regard to precip, so the ladyslippers just "rest" when conditions aren't right. But since I water this area regularly, I get this awesome performance! Yay!
8 comments:
What beautiful flowers. I have always been a big fan of orchids. Glad your patients :) was rewarded. Certainly makes me want to go out and plant some in my garden. They are really amazing.
Bob
Not only a ladyslipper but the yellow ones! Lisa, I remember falling in love with their photo in wildflower books - how wonderful to be able to grow one.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Thanks guys! Bob, if you do ever buy one, shop around on the net-they can be quite expensive, and you want to be sure to get something raised in captivity or "rescued" from an area that was slated for construction. You never want to get stuff that may have been "pirated" from the wild...their numbers are low nough as it is. I bought a showy ladyslipper last fall from "Raising Rarities" off the net (www.raisingrarities.com), and it was $45, but I'm seeing foliage already, and I think it may even bloom for me! The yellows were cheaper on their site, and they have several other varieties. They're making a "junkie" out of me! ;-)
What lovely flowers those lady slippers are, very pretty. I like that little silvery fern(?) right next to it too, very elegant and it compliments the yellow flowers very well!
Thank you Yolanda! That fern is called 'Ghost Fern', and they emerge so late, I always chuckle to myself that maybe this year it really WILL be a ghost! But like everything else up here, once it comes up, it takes off! All the plants must realize what a short growing season they have!
Wow, wow, wow. Congratulations. I wanted to grow Cypripediums but they were always so expensive so I chickened out. I couldn't see killing a $100 plant. You've got guts lady.
Thanks Ki...but I'm not sure if it's guts so much as stubborn self-indulgence! This yellow was bought from a nursery called Mellinger's, and they never stated if it was wild collected or not, but it was only $12 back in 2003. (I think they're out of business now.) But I've searched the web quite a bit for these, and the yellow can be had for $30 or so from some sources. That's still plenty for one plant, but being single with one grown child, I can get away with blowing some cash on such things. Plus they do grow wild up here, so I surmised the odds would be in my favor...luckily I was right!
Wow! I've never seen one in the wild, can you believe that! It's beautiful! I love yellow! Very impressive! I think I would have taken about 100 pictures!
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