Garden orchids

Does anyone grow Cypripedium orchids outdoors? We have some in pots outdoors but would like to put them in the ground. Conflicting info on the internet. Any advice much appreciated.

 

No response so nobody does grow them. A great pity as would love to share advice.

 

I am due to get some delivered this month! Although I grow dactylorhiza and epipactis in my borders, I'm reluctant to put cyps into the slugfest. Also, the Europeans who grow them in borders have snowier winters rather than wet - which I think will rot them. Maybe a raised bed might work?

 

@CarolineL Thank you for your response. So does that mean you are going to have some of the Cyrps. Where will you grow them, in what compost and will you keep them outdoors in pots or plant them into the ground?

 

We grow indoor Orchids but not heard of these before, they do look interesting.

Would suggest you put a ring of self adhesive copper tape around your pots to protect against the slugs and snails, it works for our Hostas.

Slug & Snail Adhesive Copper Tape – Doff Portland Limited

 

@On the Levels well looking at your photo, I'm the one who's asking for potting advice! Mine are coming from Hayloft - I madly bought 2 (maybe 3) of their collections. I've tried before but I don't think I gave them a well enough drained medium. Like @ricky101 I mostly grow indoor orchids (though nowhere near as well as he does), and expected cyps to need more soil based. I think I overdid it. I currently have 2 thriving calanthe plants in cold greenhouse grown in mix of MPC and lots of grit. And dry over winter. I think I'll treat the cyps the same as I try to learn. Any suggestions gratefully received!

 

@CarolineL the photos show the most robust ones. They are hybrids and bought from a nursery at the end of the season some years ago at reduced prices. We also have calceolus which has only just started to send up growths. This is the one which we would love to develop more so that we could have more plants but it is very reluctant to do so. The plants are all in tubs sitting in larger tubs filled with bark to protect the roots over winter. They stay outdoors all year round. The compost they are in is a mixture of multi compost, bark and 50% grit. @ricky101 suggested copper tape to prevent slug/snail damage. However (and long may it last) we haven't had any problems. Possibly the wide lip which curves may be stopping them from getting into the pot.

 

You have done well! I bought one when Morrisons one year had terrestrial orchids at half the price of garden centres. That's where the calanthe came from. I believe that species like calceolus are much pickier than the hybrids, which the nursery Anthura in Netherlands grow in vast quantities. The book "growing hardy orchids" by Seaton, Cribb, Ramsay and Haggard says the compost should NOT have organic matter in it, but they don't specify anything particularly.

 

@CarolineL I bought a calanthe from Morrisons as well 3 years ago. Stayed in a pot for 1 year and then we planted it out. Never saw it again.
Agree species are more difficult but they are really what we want to grow.
Let us know about your new plants when they come.

 

Exactly - I also always find that I want to grow things that are tricky!
Here's a pic of one of the calanthe which is just flowering. Unfortunately it only has one stem, and the other plant is blind, so maybe I'll feed them more this year.
I have a number of bletilla that I grew from seed, so I might chance some of them outside. I know they do ok in National Botanic Garden of Wales, but theirs are in a sheltered double walled garden

 

@CarolineL Fabulous photo. We visited many years ago the garden and found it very very amazing. The reason why we went at the time was that they had orchids on display and for sale. Yes we did buy some which are species and are doing OK. Our calceolus now has 5 growths, we live in hope.

 

@On the Levels thank you! I used to volunteer at NBGW, but realised I needed to spend more time on my own garden. The messy background in the photo tells me I'm still not doing enough
5 growths on calceolus? That sounds really promising!

 

@CarolineL we now have 6! Here's still hoping that they will all produce flowers.

 

Pictures please when they do!

 

@CarolineL Will do. Have taken up the orchid book with our library and hopefully for the grand sum of £1.20 we will be able to find out more about garden orchids. Many thanks for the info.