Lady Slipper Plant 'Showy'

ADVANCE SALE - Ships in Spring 2023! Limited Availability!!

Showy Lady Slipper - Bare Root Plant
Cypripedium reginae
H : 30-45 cm (12-18 in) Z : 3-6
pH : 5-6 Blooming: May to June

Ships in Spring As: 1 Perennial Bareroot Plant #1 Grade - Blooming Maturity

One of the largest members of the genus. This rare terrestrial orchid is also aptly named the Queen's Lady's Slipper. As the plant matures, it typically forms multiple stems of 2 to 3 feet each with 1 to 3 flowers per stem. Leaves are lime green and hairy. White sepal and petals. Flower is white with a painted fuschia (deep pink) slipper. Staminode is yellow and white with red spotting. Blooms 7-14 days from mid-June to early July. Showy!
For More Details Click on the Detailed or Planting Guide Tabs

USDA Growing Zones
Recommended optimal USDA zones are 3 to 6. Plants may be grown in zone 2 with extra winter mulching protection and zone 7 if the ground is kept cool and moist with adequate shading.

Soil/Media/Growing Requirements
Requires a neutral pH soil/media. Adding some lime is beneficial. A layer of mulch is well received as well by the plants; you can use bark or pine needles with a dusting of lime. They require 2 to 3 hours direct early morning or late afternoon sun and be in dappled shade/sun the remainder of the day. Roots must always be moist and never allowed to dry out, especially during the first year as plants are getting established. These plants are found in nature in open well drained but moist areas, along roadsides and in open fields, and in cultivation do well in open gardens with well-drained soil. Some protection from direct sun is beneficial in the warmer climates.

NOTE ABOUT SOIL: If your soil is a heavy clay you will need to loosen it by adding sharp sand and humus (rotten bark, leaf mold, or aged compost). If your soil is a dry open sandy type, then you will need to add some loam and humus. Successful lady slipper gardeners use a mix of one-half coarse sand and one-half bark to grow their ladies!

Nursery Propagated from Seed or rescued from logging sites and construction areas. These plants are at blooming stage ie. older plants. Lady Slippers need care and while we will deliver a live, healthy plant guaranteed it will be up to you to provide the proper area, conditions and care!

BILLING FOR ADVANCE SALES

Your online order for bareroot perennials will be charged to your credit card including shipping at the time of placing the order (advance sale) and the bare roots will ship according to the shipping schedule on their individual product pages. This is standard practice in the mail-order business for advance sale items. It not only allows us to accurately project inventory but allows us to offer you huge discounts for pre-ordering. We fully guarantee all of our perennial bareroot products under the same terms as our seed products.

Planting and Growing Tips
Lady Slipper Orchids
Cypripediums
Please take the time and care necessary to plant your lady slipper orchids. When properly planted and cared for, the plants will not only grow well but thrive. Your Lady Slippers are arriving as a bareroot plant. They may have foliage and it may die back. This is normal, the plant has not died. Please plant immediately upon arrival as they need to get acclimated for next season. They have already formed their new root balls. Please follow instructions for optimal success.
Planting: Do not expose roots to direct sunlight or drying winds; doing so can be fatal to your plants.
Lady Slippers should be planted with their buds/root balls just below the surface (1/2 inch) and a layer of mulch 1 to 2 inches deep should be put over the top. They should be planted with their roots spread out in the top four inches of the soil. Their roots tend to grow horizontally and only go deeper in dry conditions.
Light: Morning or evening sun is okay, but plants should be shaded midday. High, open shade or the shade of the north side of a building will work very well.
Soil: The soil should be evenly moist but well-drained with lime added. Depending on the soil you are starting with, you may want to augment it. If your soil is heavy clay you will want to loosen it up by adding river sand or humus, compost. If, on the other hand, your soil is a dry, open, sandy type, you would want to add loam or humus. At the farm, we grow our lady slippers in a mix of one-half course and one half loamy, compost type soil with about ¼ cup of lime mixed in.
Mulch: A layer of mulch is very important. You can use bark, or bark with pine needles on top. It will keep the soil cool and evenly moist. The soil should not be allowed to dry out completely, especially during the first year, as plants are getting established. Once the ground has started to freeze, we recommend adding a layer of straw or pine boughs to provide additional winter protection.
Fertilizer: When planted in a good, rich soil, fertilizer is not necessary. If you want to fertilize apply only a 1/4 strength liquid fertilizer every 7-10 days from Spring through mid-August. A yearly dusting of lime is always helpful.
Watering: Please resist the urge to over-water! These plants like an evenly moist soil and should be watered only through dry periods, such as late summer or lightly misted. Like most other perennials, they should never be allowed to completely dry out.
Thank You for Your Order and Enjoy Your Lady Slippers! Please Be Patient!



As always, if you have any questions, please just shoot us an e-mail or call us toll-free and one of our experts will be happy to answer your questions!