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lady slippers

11 years ago

I have had the worst luck with these. I ordered from Spangle Creek at least 4-5 times, and got good "seedlings", no problem there. I order the yellow "easiest" ones to grow, but I cannot seem to get them to mature plants. Some dried up, some were eaten by bugs, dont' know what kind, but I did put slub bait down and didn't help. Planted some older plants in my woods and the deer decided to make their path right on top of them! And other mishaps.

Has anyoone had much luck with growing them to mature blooming plants from the seedlings from Spangle? I have ONE plant, probably at least 4 years old, still looks spindley and hasn't bloomed, In shade, where other plants are growing great.

I need some help! Anyone?

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Comments (2)

Lynda Waldrep
11 years ago
I hope someone responds with good advice, because I thought about ordering, too. Then I read something that indicated you needed to grow them out in a greenhouse environment, which I do not have. Thanks for posting this. Let's both await some good replies. Help, out there!
terrestrial_man
11 years ago
Do you mean you are planting the seedlings directly into the garden?????
That is your mistake! You really should grow the seedlings in pots until they are large enough to be transplanted. Also since that would take about 4 years you could be amending the soil of the area where you want the orchids to be planted.
Pot culture is relatively easy and if you already live in an area where the orchids naturally occur all you would have to do is to put the potted plants out in a cold shed overwinter and just protect them from freezing though making sure they are around 35 degrees F for 3 or so months.
Spangle Creek has info on how to grow them.
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I love lady slippers too (Pedilanthus macrocarpus) and probably have fifteen of them in my garden in pots and in the ground. I really like them and hope yours does well for you. I have some in full hot amazing sun, and some in nice bright shade, and lots in-between all combinations are in pots and in ground so they're pretty darn flexible. they like a good drink and then like getting dry, like lazy said. I water them twice a month at this time of year and they seem really happy. How often are you watering yours? Definitely make sure they dry out between big drinks. Good luck and keep us posted! Happy gardening!
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Norma, Could be someone who's filling their garden as well. Here in Nova Scotia, they are on the endangered list and it is unlawful to pick the plant or the flower. We have them growing in a small meadow, both the pinks and the whites (which are even more rare). We've had folks ask if they could have some for their gardens, in which case I educated them in regards to the fact that it takes seven year for this plant to flower after the seed germinates, and once the flower is picked, the plant will never bloom again. We have 14 prescious 'Ladies' as we call them. They are real treasures!
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Bought the lady slipper! $7.99 for a decently sized one in a 3" pot... Very "little shop of horrors" looking. I love it. I also managed to get a few more photos of the non phals at Trader Joe's today - fairly new to all the other varieties but I'll venture my guess as to what they are (if I butcher it then feel free to correct me)... Some sort of oncidium: Miltoniopsis? ??? No idea but it looked cool Maybe a mini dendrobium to the left and a very handsome green lady slipper to the right. Ok that's the end of it... I stopped taking photos because people were looking at me funny.
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I think you should offer to plant them out in her yard... And keep a bit for yourself :) they will die otherwise. I'm sure she hasn't had them overwinter in that pot and as a 'non plant person' I don't have much faith in them surviving under those conditions. I would also guess they are barely 'planted' in that pot, it looks more like a shovelful of plant and soil was taken from the garden and dropped into that container. -but they do look very well cared for at the moment!
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