# How do you grow these Cypripediums?



## emydura (May 21, 2010)

I'm a bit blown away by all these Cypripediums being posted at the moment. I've never ever seen one in Australia. Never seen one for sale. I wonder if our climate is too hot.

So how do you grow them and what conditions do you need? Actually it can get pretty cold here in Canberra (down to -8 oC occasionally, -4 oC regularly) although the summers are very hot.

Even if I could grow them I wouldn't know where to get them. I'd expect I would have to bring in flasks.

David


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 21, 2010)

David, there's a fellow down in the southwest of your country that grows them (in the Blue Mountains), or at least he was trying to some years ago. I'm not sure of his success. 

These are truly temperate woodland plants by and large and require lots of humidity and preferably cool temps while in growth (at or below 25 C is best). In particular the roots need to remain cool - anything above 20 C is stressful to them and above 25 C for extended periods is simply death. Winter temperatures must average below 6-8 C for three months or more (and that is pushing it). So....

Maybe it isn't worth the trouble unless you're a madman like me :rollhappy:

Best bets include: formosanum, japonicum, kentuckiense, henryi, and if you can source them, subtropicum and lentiginosum. Others possibilities include acaule, pubescens, fasciolatum. Hybrids with kentuckinese also hold promise. Strangely enough reginae is listed as a possible exotic weed in Australia (I think the guy who came up with that notion is smoking weed )


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## emydura (May 21, 2010)

Thanks Tom. Just as I thought. Not really practical here. Our summer temps would get too high and our winters wouldn't get cold enough for long enough. Even the Blue Mountains does not seem suitable as temps would never get that low. It gets colder in Canberra than the Blue Mountains. The Snowy Mountains is not that far from where I live which would be the only place where you may be able to grow them here. 

Hard to imagine how reginae could become a weed here. Unless they are talking about up in the high country. Pretty limited distribution though.

The Blue Mountains is in the south east (close to Sydney). That is where I am from and where my parents live. A beautiful part of the world.

David


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## JeanLux (May 21, 2010)

emydura said:


> ...I'm a bit blown away by all these Cypripediums being posted at the moment. .....



Ha, interesting question David!!!

I did, until now, not comment cyp threads because I had none..
but this morning I found a cyp reginae(?) in bud ( in a shop of course) and from now on I am in the cyp club too  
Let's see how this is going to develop 
Jean


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## Ernie (May 21, 2010)

Yeah, I'd bet if you could source them, kentuckiense and its hybrids might do okay if you protect them in the summer. It is warmth tolerant and has very large flowers. They do not require intense vernalization like some others do. My parents have them in the yard in Lexington, KY and and they treat them like irises. My dad is a great traditional gardener with no orchid experience, and he understands "grow it like an iris". They get no mentionable snow fall most winters (dustings on and off) and temps go below freezing at night for 1.5-2.5 months, but recover to 40-60 during the day depending on sunshine; and summers are warm to hot and dry. They sometimes water in summer if rainfall is sparse.


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## NYEric (May 21, 2010)

Acaules can take the heat and dont grow as wet as some others, definitely!!!


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## emydura (May 22, 2010)

Thanks Ernie and Eric. I'll keep them in mind if I come across them. I assume hybrids will be a little more tolerant than species.

David


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