Cypripedium formosanum in Alpine House, RHS Gardens, Harlow Carr, April 2014 |
Gardening on a small scale, ideas on things to grow in a small garden, making the most of a small space
Search This Blog
Saturday 12 April 2014
CYPRIPEDIUM FORMOSANUM
This Cypripedium formosanum plant is terrestrial. It's also known as a slipper orchid and was growing in the warmth of the Alpine House of the RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr. It's got a really delicate colouring and pleated leaves which I find fascinating. Apparently, it's the easier Cypripedium to grow and although it needs moisture it has to be grown in a well-drained medium. You can see from the photograph that it is in gritty soil. One website says it grows the plants in a mixture of river sand and loam. It's not frost hardy.