Cypripedium Bernd Pastel - Lady Slipper Orchid

The Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel' is a hybrid Venus Slipper with entirely ivory to cream-coloured flowers. This pastel colour, combined with the light green foliage, creates an exquisite ensemble. Perennial through its rootstock, this garden orchid produces two flowers with characteristic shapes on each flower stem in summer. It has some cultivation requirements: it prefers semi-shaded exposure in soil that is poor in organic matter, well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, and consistently somewhat moist without waterlogging.

Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel' belongs to the orchid family. It is a horticultural creation resulting from the cross-breeding between Cypripedium macranthos 'Alba', originally from Siberia, China, and Taiwan, and Cypripedium segawae, a rare species native to Taiwan.

It is a rhizomatous plant that spreads in colonies over time. Its deciduous vegetation emerges from the ground in spring and disappears in autumn. The Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel' forms a clump of large, fairly light green leaves, ovate to elliptical, with very pronounced parallel veins. This variety will reach an average height of 50 cm in our climate when in bloom. Flowering usually occurs in May or June, when the plant is well established, at least 4 or 5 years old. The sturdy and robust flower stem develops directly from the rootstock. It is furnished with leaves to the top. Alternating and distributed along these tall stems, two flowers usually appear. They have the characteristic shape of Cypripedium flowers and measure approximately 12 cm wide. Each flower is composed of narrow and slightly spiralled sepals and petals, dominating an imposing 'sabot' lip, which is very swollen. The flower colour is ivory white with cream-coloured tepals. The entire vegetation is covered with a fine down that can be allergenic and irritating to the skin for some people. These hairs host a symbiotic fungus. During winter, the foliage disappears, and the plant returns to a rootstock.

The Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel' is a perfectly hardy variety that multiplies rapidly in pots and the garden as long as the conditions are suitable. It thrives in forest edges, preferring a light soil that retains some moisture without being waterlogged. Plant it in a location with not too intense shade, in a cool rockery, an ideal habitat that allows it to thrive and beautify your garden with its unique presence. Accompany it with a simple fern-like Polypodium vulgare and the flowering of Trilliums and Lamium orvala. It also thrives in containers and unheated greenhouses. It is a plant that dislikes heatwaves, drought, and strong winds.

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