Growing Tips

Lady Slipper Growing Tips

Light: Morning or evening sun is okay, but plants should be shaded in midday. High open shade or the shade of the north side of a building will work very well.

Soil: Cypripediums like an evenly moist but well-drained soil and will not tolerate soggy or overly dry conditions. Depending on the soil you are starting with, you may want to augment it. If you have acid soil, a 1/4 cup of lime may be added to each planting hole or dusted on top. If your soil is a heavy clay, you will need to remove it and fill the planting hole with a sandy loam. If, on the other hand, your soil is a dry open, sandy type, you would want to add loam and humus. A good loamy garden soil that is not acidic should be fine and not need much amending.

Mulch: A layer of mulch is very important. We use pine bark 3/4 to 1 inch deep with a light layer of pine needles on top. It will keep the soil cool and evenly moist. The soil should not be allowed to dry out completely, especially during the first year, as plants are getting established. Once the ground has started to freeze, we recommend adding some more mulch be that more bark, or a layer of straw or pine boughs to provide additional winter protection. This is especially important for fall plantings. Remove this extra layer in spring. If you live in an area that has wet winters, it is a good idea to cover the newly planted cypripediums with something like a board or sheet of plastic to keep off the rain so they don't get soggy over their first winter. Don't forget to remove the covering in the spring before the plants come up.

Fertilizer: When planted in a good rich soil, fertilizer is not always necessary. However, you may wish to try a yearly spring application of a granular organic fertilizer before the plants emerge. If you like to actively fertilize, you can apply a quarter-strength liquid fertilizer every 7 to 10 days from before the plants come up in spring until mid-August. Fertilizing early is a good idea as this is when the plants are forming their buds for the next spring. A yearly dusting of lime is always helpful if you have soils that tend toward the acid or neutral side.

Planting: Plants should be planted with the tips of their buds just below the surface (1/2 inch deep). Lady slippers should be planted with their roots spread out in the top four inches of the soil. Their roots tend to grow horizontally. Care should be taken when planting that the roots are not exposed to the sun or drying wind.

Watering: Please resist all temptation to over-water. These plants like an evenly moist soil and should be watered only through dry periods such as late summer. Like most other perennials, they should never be allowed to dry out completely.

Click here to see pictures of how to plant a Lady Slipper.

Wildflower Growing Tips

Most all our wildflowers will benefit from the same soil conditions as the lady slippers (see above). You can also check the individual plant descriptions for soil and light requirements.

We ship a lot of our plants bare root. It is important when planting bare root plants not to let the roots dry out or be exposed to bright sunlight while they’re waiting to be planted. Also you will want to make sure the roots are as spread out as possible when back filling with soil. In other words, you don’t want the roots to make a flat squished mass that cannot breathe and have access to the soil.

Arisaema bulbs should be planted about 3 inches deep with the tips pointed up, even if that means the bulb is on it’s side.