Cypripedium, Lady Slipper Orchids, is a genus of woodland garden plants that are among the most desired of all native hardy orchids for sale, despite their often finicky requirements.
Plant Delights Nursery is excited about our bare root shipment of responsibly grown, flowering size, cypripedium orchids we received yesterday. These plants are nursery propagated and not collected from the wild.
Fall is the best time for planting your hardy lady slipper orchid. Beds should be well-prepared and amended with compost unless you naturally have rich, organic soil. Dig a shallow but wide crater, spread the roots out flat (with eyes pointed upward), cover them with 1″ of soil, and water in well.
You should avoid planting your lady slipper orchid near aggressive groundcovers (such as ivy, vinca or Japanese pachysandra) or near the base of trees or large shrubs due to root competition. Check out this article on Cypripediums for more in depth information.
Other varieties of Cypripedium we just got in for sale include C. kentuckiense, Hank Small, Michael, and Philipp. All plants have been potted to keep the roots from drying out and for shipping, but the mix can easily be removed for fall planting and incorporated into the planting site.
I wish I had this instructions when my lady slipper order arrived last fall. The bare root plants were in a gravel mixture That I assumed was to be used when planting and half have not come up. I assume the plants were sent in the pots they were grown in but after reading this I realize they just bare roots in a gravel mixture. The ground was repaired properly with lots of organic compost, I used the gravel mix in the pot they arrived in and was waiting to see if they needed more time to file a complaint.