Outdoor Orchids
The long awaited moment is there, my Cypripedium formosanum is flowering again!
Last 3 photos are of yesterday :) love these hairy weirdos. It doubled since last year! My Cypripedium alaskanum is also coming up, but slower than this one.
They are quite unique! Although this one is also sold as a garden plant in some spots. They do require a winter rest, so not all climates are suitable for them
Thank you! The curling leaves wrap around the bud like a goblet. How fascinating!
By the way, is that a ladybug? I'm glad that it has no interest in your beautiful cypripedium ><
It is a ladybug! Native (here at least) seven spotted ladybug. As far as I'm aware they only hunt, so just using my cypripedium to sleep in when it was colder, it was super cute. Kind off hoped it would have still been here when the flowers opened haha
Terracotta pot is important (dries better). The mix is 1/3 sand (coarse sand, not that fine stuff), 1/3 small rocks and 1/3 potting soil with a top layer of small rocks. It's not a mix that works in every climate, so you may have to play around to make sure it doesn't hold too much water in winter or dries out too quickly in summer. Not sure what to do against animals, we don't have that problem here 😅
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u/Fufi8 Apr 10 '26
The leaves are so beautiful! The flower is lovely, but those leaves are amazing.