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Thank you. This is very valuable information. Fortunately, it is consistent with what I've been giving them, treating them like my Paphiopedilums vietnamense and hangianum. Pictured is my happiest subtropicum, now 1 year in Baltimore cultivation.

Thank you for your wonderful documentation. The observation that Cypripedium subtropicum inhabits altitudes of 1,600m is consistent with my initial success in the air-conditioned zone of my greenhouse (seed-grown stock from Hengduan Mountain Biotechnology).

Here's my Ptarmigan (Snow Bird x medusa) in very rainy, hot Baltimore. Potted in 1:1:1:1 ProMix BX : Turface : Espoma Soil Perfector : course perlite. The pot it topped off at planting time with a mulch of granite gravel to keep the leaves clean and a scattering of Osmocote Plus.

With the advent of seed-propagated Cypripedium subtropicum at a reasonable price from Hengduan Mountains Biotechnology, I have been able to try the species under several conditions and can report initial success under one set of conditions. I attempted last year with limited beginning success...

It was about 35 years ago, but I recall it was something like Michigan Wildflower Nursery. They’ve been out of business for at least 15 years.

The parents of Cypripedium Otto, both pubescens and calceolus are recorded in nature all the way beyond the Arctic Circle. Calceolus has more problems with heat, but Pubescens grows all the way into Georgia and Alabama in the U.S.

I have no successful experiences with pot culture other than some odd ones — Cypripedium plectrochilum and Cypripedium subtropicum. Both of those reside in the air conditioned half of my greenhouse here the temperature never exceeds 75°F.

Cypripedium calceolus, the true Eurasian Yellow Ladyslipper and type species for all of Cypripedioideae, is a fussy grower in Maryland in my experience. Fortunately, its hybrid with Cypripedium pubescens, Cypripedium Otto (W.Frosch 1991) is much more tolerant and retains much of the charm of the...

I am looking for the flavum variety. I have photos of them over many years but hope that someone is propagating it.

I have been trying a large number of Cypripedium species and hybrids for the last 40 years and currently am keeping about 20 alive or better. The one standout is my Cypripedium pubescens (Willd. Hort. Berol. 1: 13 (1804)) 'Vigrous', planted as a single growth rhizome from a Michigan wildflower...

I am only beginning to have success with kentuckiense. Still haven't bloomed it. If you have one about to bloom, I can save some pollen for you.

Another fine Cyp is Cypripedium Karl Heinz (calceolus x cordigerum), obtained as a single growth from Orchids at Post Hill at the 2019 Paph Forum. This should be a difficult entity, given that calceolus is notoriously fussy and cordigerum is a Himalayan high-mountain species. Instead, it has...

It's Cypripedium season in the Mid-Atlantic US, Maryland in this case. One of the most spectacular is Cypripedium Christian (shanxiense x hotei-atsumorianum), obtained as a single growth from Orchids at Post Hill at the 2019 Paph Forum. This should be a difficult entity, given that shanxiense is...

Wow! The width of the petals is stunning.

The grocery Cymbidium Noid looks very much like Cymbidium Lovely Moon (Hiroshima Golden Cup x Wallara, Mukoyama 24/4/1991), a very common and reliable hybrid, and true to its name lovely.

Most by species are in raised beds. By number, my 150+ Cypripedium pubescens are in open ground under tulip poplars with companion plants of bloodroot and twinleaf.

I obtained the plant from Hengduan Mountain Biotech as their "Select" offering. She has a very active breeding program, which I believe automatically selects for vigorous clones. Some of the plants are likely multi-generation in cultivation. That said, this species grows in my arborvitae bed...

Digging up the plants is invariably fatal. Perhaps some day I will have them potted in the ground so that they can be shown.

Here are two of my favorites, Cypripedium Christian and Cypripedium tibeticum.

My name is Clark Thomas Riley, a Baltimore author and grower of Cypripediums since 1957.