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 notoriously fussy and hotei-atsumorianum is a Japanese high-mountain species. Instead, it has increased to 7 growths including a two flowered growth while enduring 100°+F summers. It is planted in the Himalayan raised bed with a substrate of essentially gravel — Turface, Espoma Soil Perfector, pea gravel, and sand. No organic matter, but receives an annual handful of Espoma BulbTone. The bed is located in a breezy spot beneath the open shade of an oriental persimmon. I'll be attempting a hybrid with my particularly vigorous Cypripedium pubescens, aiming for bright colors and continued heat tolerance.
