Cypripedium smithii

Cypripedium smithii, recently renamed Cypripedium calcicolum is an extremely hardy Lady's Slipper, whose astonishing and highly recognizable flowers are composed of red petals and sepals marbled with white and a very swollen petal (the lip) purple in colour, with a shiny and granulose appearance. This garden orchid is a montane species, accustomed to limestone substrates, grassy slopes, and open spaces under the cover of deciduous bushes. It will particularly appreciate high-altitude areas and the freshness of alpine gardens.

Native to the mountains of the northern Chinese province of Sichuan, Cypripedium smithii is found above 2400m (7874ft) altitude. This garden orchid has strange and fascinating flowers. The Lady's Slipper forms a clump of large, light green and vibrant leaves, oval to elliptical in shape, with very prominent parallel veins, starting in spring. In our climates, it will reach a height of 30 to 50cm (12 to 20in). Flowering occurs in spring, sometimes absent in certain years, and happens when the plant is at least 4 or 5 years old. The solid and robust flower stem, measuring between 40cm (16in) in height, grows directly from a very large cylindrical rootstock. It is furnished with leaves all the way up to the top. At the tip of each stem, a solitary flower appears. It has the characteristic shape of Cypripedium flowers, composed of red petals and sepals marbled with white, tapering, dominating a round 'slipper' lip, particularly swollen, dark purple in colour, with a slightly granulose and shiny appearance. The purple-violet colour is even more pronounced when the plant grows in shade. During winter, the foliage disappears and the plant persists in the form of a rootstock.

Cypripedium smithii is a very hardy montane perennial. It grows on the edge of forests, in partial shade, in light, cool, humus-rich soils, slightly acidic, neutral, or slightly alkaline. Plant it in shade, in a cool rock garden, between rocks, or at the edge of a fresh understorey, in the company of Arisaema, Calanthe, Paris, Bletilla, and ferns.

When you receive your orchids, handle them with care: these plants produce few roots and are delicate!