I saw this beautiful Picture in the PDB. I've decided I had to grow Lady Slippers...LOL So the hunt for the seeds was on! Are they serious??? Are they trying to send me to the Poor House..More so, Are they trying to get me banned from my DH's bank account. $25.00 for seeds??!!??!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42218&item=4340115893&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
If ANYONE has these seeds...Knows where I can get them cheaper?...any color is fine..PLMK
Thank You
Lady Slipper Seeds...
Hi Kim, If you don't find any seeds. I have a purple one which I can dig out in the spring for you/Just let me know .
Best Regards, Ingrid
Ohhhhh My! Yes Yes Ingrid..Thanks so much! Hey did your package ever arrive?
Kim
You are probably much better off with commercially grown plants (from a lab for example) or plants from friends gardens. I'm not sure that I would even take the chance on outdoor sowing even if I did have other orchids in the same genus already growing in the yard.
Orchid seeds do not have stored food reserves as other seeds do. They need specific fungi in a symbiotic relationship for germination and growth the first year. Many times either this doesn't exist in the wild or on your yard and many fungi can also be deadly to them. Only a few in hundreds ever make it.....hence part of their rarity.
Indoor germination requires a sterile environment, and takes years to get to blooming size.
Here are a couple of articles on growing orchids from seed.
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/horticulture/orchids.html scroll down to sexual propagation
http://www.users.bigpond.com/gmcorbin/bos/Flasking.html
I'm sure others can recommend sources or will be willing to trade.
If you go for commercial sources, try to stay away from big box stores with cheap prices. Orchids are not cheap to propagate and it takes a long time. These kind of low prices can indicate wild harvesting activities.
There are plenty of reputable Labs with reasonable prices out there.
This message was edited Nov 28, 2004 8:03 AM
This message was edited Nov 28, 2004 8:04 AM
Thanks!
Kim
do you already have orchids in your yard??
I don't believe so..Pleiones..But I put them there. I have a large amount of fungus, moss, etc. That's because of the Woods and streams..So maybe the Lady Slipper will do well for me. I just try to attempt to grow everything from seeds before I buy a plant. LOL I haven't bought plants in a while..too expensive for me at this time.
Orchid seeds of ANY kind require special conditions to germinate. This is usually not possible in home enviroment.
A better place to get Lady Slippers (Cypripedium species) would be here:
http://www.vtladyslipper.com/index.html
Even the plants can be finicky though. My husband's family used to own a camp in the deep woods near our house and to my delight I discovered a very small patch of Pink Lady Slippers one year. I hovered over them like a mother hen, but one year they just disappeared. I don't know if they froze out, were stolen, eaten or whatever. I was pretty bummed about it.
And while I am not a rabid environmentalist by a long shot, many native orchid species are on the Endangered CITES list, making them illegal to import or export to another country without a permit. Cypripedium acaule is on this list.
http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/plants/cypripedium_acaule.htm
Kim
here are some additional links for you
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/43542/
This one sells hardy orchids.....can't say anything about the company or their business practices tho......
http://www.wildorchidcompany.com/
Inda
Native orchids here, and I've noticed particularly with Lady slipper orchids, will weather drought by not sending up any vegetative growth in those years but do come back as soon as the moisture returns. Noticed this for our previous years drought but the populations rebounded this year fine with our extra moisture and cooler temps. Not sure how long this can go on without zapping all their reserves but is true with other rare natives here as well....
Wooohhhhh ...I'm in heaven with these links!
Unfortunately, my in-laws no longer own the land where I found the Lady Slippers so I haven't been able to check on them in over two years. I can only hope they came back, but I doubt that the people who bought the land know that they have rare orchids growing there. I don't know what plans they have for that land, either. :-(
There were lots of really neat things growing down there: Jack-in-the pulpit, Trilliums of both white and burgundy, and Indian Ghost Pipe just to name a few.
Native woodland orchids are REALLY rare in my area of PA I grew up a child of the forest, and I can count the number of times on one hand that I found a wild stand of Pink Lady's Slippers. My father claims to have seen the yellow ones here in PA, but I never have. Anyone who has an area where these orchids can be successfully cultivated is doing a GOOD DEED for sure, so go for it Kim!
We have a few populations of the yellow and others as well-all very rare here too. An out of the way area I hike with birding friends is an exceptionally cool, wet canyon (for these parts) that we call the 'orchid loop'. We've found 6 species so far with the yellow having hundreds of plants. Only a few know-a couple local botanist professors and the Native Plant Society for tracking purposes. Hate to see these beauties disappear!!
I grew up in Jersey (a child of the forest as well-skipping school for me was more often than not hiding/exploring in the woods-not going to the shore) and also remember those you mention. Mostly gone now due to developments and wild harvesting. :-(
This message was edited Nov 28, 2004 10:06 AM
It looks like the ones in that auction are wild harvested. Nurseries almost always say that they're nursery grown.
Yeah, looked like that to me too. A batch of 300 for 3 bucks a piece are pretty darn cheap...well, I suppose they could be wild harvesting form their own land...sigh....
Very interesting topic here. I didn't know that Lady Slippers were in the orchid family. Learn something new here every day. Thanks.
i did not know they were of the orchid family either. Where i live there is a patch of them that is over 100' round. Very pretty though. I dug one up and put it in my garden. Hope it comes up next year.
KimGaither
Got your pkg today and the plant is in wonderful shape..Only problem is have to keep inside over winter..The ground is frozen stiff...LOL
Thanks, again so much for it all.
Best Regards..
Let me know in Spring for the lady slipper..Ok
Ingrid
OMG! Frozen??? It is 57 degrees today and I feel like I'm frozen...LOL . I hope it does well for you..I put seeds in there too :-D
KimGaither
Got it all Thanks, big hug/kiss
Ingrid
Ingrid..You are very welcome. Maybe you should keep the Peony in the fridge..They really like to be cold for a season.
Thanks Kim, should I pot it up as well??
Ingrid
The bag I sent it in..Fill it with store bought soil. Then a little water..not much. Just so that the soil isn't dry right from the bag. Then Pop it in the fridge until the ground is workable. Peonies benefit from the cold.
KimGaither
Great, Thanks Ingrid