We have about a half dozen groupings of yellow slippers in our garden. They have thrived over the years and have up to 40 blooms in each gathering.

We give them special priority. We keep other plants about six inches away. We are especially diligent in keeping rhizome spreading plants at a distance.

The slippers need to receive a 'decent' amount of light to bloom in large numbers. Being shaded a bit won't hurt them but if not enough light, they grow fine but don't bloom.

We give ours a couple feedings of compost each season and make sure they are watered in dry times. On really hot days we'll provide them a bit of shade and extra water.

http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/gardenbuzz/default.aspx

I had a wild colony up in the mountains, but as the trees grew, they were shaded out and disappeared. The ones at my house are still here but did not bloom last year, due to the drought, I think. Unfortunately, deer sometimes like them. I also have the pink slippers, and rabbits and voles attack them. I am trying to be somewhat natural, so I have the "let live" approach with everything but my trilliums. I have sprayed critter repellants this year, and it helped a great deal. I still don't want to shoot Bambi and his friends, but hubbie is ready to be Elmer Fudd and eliminate them.

Thanks! I will baby these and enjoy them. Do you think they were in this spot and just bloomed last year because of compost I was using...or better light or water? Or are there other ways they come to a new spot? I know nothing about these but am honored they have joined my garden!

Deb, I'm sure they must have been there already if you didn't plant them. There are any number of reasons they're showing up now, perhaps they were not mature before, perhaps your care has made things better for them, or a combination of the two. Whatever it is, that is a really lucky and wonderful thing to have in your garden.

I have two types of lady slippers I brought into my garden, Cypripedium reginae, and Cyp. formosanum. The reginae bloomed this year, and was just wonderful. I wasn't sure if we have the right conditions to grow them (enough winter for one thing), but it came back up this Spring and was more than double the size of the plant last year. The other one, however, has stayed pretty small and weak looking.

--Ron

Ron,
the formosanum is a smaller growing plant. you may want to check to see how deep it is planted and raise it some and to help get it cooler in winter do not use mulch on it.
Petaluma may be too warm in summer so check out your area for the coolest spot that is shaded. I can appreciate this difficulty as I use water to cool off potted plants, including the cyps when I grew them-none at this time. Perhaps an elevated bed that drains fasts and water heavily during summer to help cool may work?? If you can grow Trilliums then the orchid should do well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cyp. formosanum

Hi terrestrial man! I don't think drainage is the problem, it's in the best area of our property soil-wise, 20 years of leaf mold. I think the real problem with my formosanum is that they were smallish to begin with. I do grow about 5 or 6 species of trilliums, and doesn't C. reginae need more chill than formosanum? We get in the mid to upper teens in winter, and about 90 nights below freezing every winter (I'm in a cold spot), plus our nights are in the low 50s or below year-round. Anyway, I love these terrestrial orchids, and would love to get some of the California natives going here, there's a Cal-native ladyslipper native to the county I live in (Sonoma). But, I've never found any sources for any of the California ones.

--Ron

"I've never found any sources for any of the California ones."

Planteck has had them in the past. Roberts may have had them as well. Don't see them on either site now but worth keeping an eye on.

I think they need really specific growing conditions to do well. They are found in the same conditions as Darlingtonia I believe.