Hello Dr. Neptune. I have had conversations with you about this cyp. of mine for some time; btw., it's Cypripedium 'Inge'(parviflorum x fasciolatum. It has never flowered. When it arrived in 2002 it sported 2 growth and tag said it was flowering size. I do admit it took 3 yrs. of trail and error to figure out it's correct growing and dormant cycle, but it and I have come to terms on that now. Last year the plant was grown outside in morning sun until October. I left it under the eaves of the roof thoughout the winter, instead of putting it into the fridge as I had done 2 seasons before, and it broke dormancy in March of this year, as it did in 2009. I was somewhat lax in fertilizing it. Could that be the reason for not flowering? What type of fertilizer would you recommend? Is it wise to re-pot every year to check on the roots and soil condition, change/adjust medium if need be? When is the best time for that? Now that the new growth is about 2 inches tall, can it be left outside even though the night temperature is at times down to 38 deg? Thank you very much for your response and advise. Helga.

Hi Kathy Could you post a picture? Canes, leafs and growth can tell a lot about a rose. You can safely prune out old dead wood, and old canes you don't want to keep, but the ones you keep must not be shortened by more than a 1/4, perhaps a 1/3 of the length. When once bloomers get very old and old canes have not regularly been pruned out, they might not take very well to pruning at all. Another thing than can inhibits a rose from forming buds is lack of sunlight. Trees and bushes might have grown too tall or dense over the years, and the rose has ended up in full shade all day. An old neglected rose will all ways respond well to good care, and if you don't do anything else, clean up all weeds around the rose and give it generous amounts of fertilizer. There a lots of brands to choose from, even especially made for roses. If it looks like it needs something extra to get it going, the organic liquid types with seaweed and other good stuff are really good. Give it a few buckets of fertilizer dissolved in water and apply in a fairly large radius, about as far as the roots spread. Moving a rose will set the plant back for a time, and it will probably do much better next year. Good luck with your rose, it probably just needs a bit of care :-)

I've had 3 different sets of Sprekelia bulbs over the past few years, and only 1 set actually bloomed for me. I found some Sprekelia bulbs on sale at Lowe's, I think it was... about 2 years ago. They came 3 in a package, and cost me a whopping $2.98, or some such low price. I planted them in a clay pot, and set the pot outside with an eastern exposure. They bloomed beautifully. The other sets of bulbs I got from other sources, such as Ebay... I potted those and kept them indoors. They have never bloomed. I would guess that Sprekelia require a lot of sun or light, and a decent dormancy. I would also guess that they need very good care in order to set buds. Wouldn't you know it... I haven't seen Sprekelia bulbs for sale anywhere since I found those packages at Lowe's. I don't recall very much of what I've read regarding this amaryllid... I would Google it and see what pops up. I'm sorry I can't help you further. Good luck with them, though!

Kara: I'm from NYC ... I'm only here caring for my mother for an indefinite period of time. Believe me, it gets very cold in NYC, especially near the waterways. These were there with me for 10 years on a very sunny window sill all year, outdoors in the late spring, summer, early fall. They never bloomed there either. I moved them here with me 2 years ago. Alain: I have been growing C&S for over 35 years. If planted in-ground, they obtain nutrients from the runoff of trees and adjacent plants. If potted, they do benefit from a low nitrogen fertilizer, like 0-10-10 or 2-7-7, which is what I use on all my C&S once a month. On flowering succulents, like orchid cactus / epis, I alternate between this fertilizer and a full spectrum fertilizer, like 14-14-14 or 20-20-20 ... I alternate between the two every other month. Everything gets fed at the beginning of every month March - Dec in this climate (April - Sept in NYC). Fertilizers do make a difference in how green the plant is, the health of its root system, how well it pups, etc. Maria Elena