Cypripediums in China - Hengduan Mountains Biotech.

[KyushuCalanthe]

I just put together this vid from clips I took back in 2013 of Holger and Wenqing Perner's Cyp nursery in Sichuan. Not the best quality (shaky hands!), but you'll get the idea. Lots of plants in flower that day and you can see how they grow them.

Hengduan Cypripedium Nursery

 

[NYEric]

Something to watch tonight during the overnight shift, thanks!

 

[Erythrone]

Stunning video!!! Will share it with friends!!!! Many thanks

 

[JAB]

Keep them coming Tom! Love to see how different folks operate their greenhouses and their approach to various species!
Thanks!

 

[SlipperFan]

Wow -- very unusual.

 

[theshatterings]

Nice video!

 

[abax]

Tom, what is the temperature range in the growing area?
I noticed the pine needle mulch, but what is the growing
medium under the mulch? I'd love to try some Cyps., but
don't particularly want to do it in pots. I wonder if zone 6B might have adequate outside growing conditions.
Oh, I always enjoy your videos. Keep 'em comin'.

 

[Migrant13]

Excellent video Tom. Thanks a bunch for the tour of the Perner's amazing facilities and Cyp nursery.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Tom, what is the temperature range in the growing area?
I noticed the pine needle mulch, but what is the growing
medium under the mulch? I'd love to try some Cyps., but
don't particularly want to do it in pots. I wonder if zone 6B might have adequate outside growing conditions.
Oh, I always enjoy your videos. Keep 'em comin'.

Angela, Chinese Cyps are a tough group to grow in the eastern USA due to heating in summer. I'd say the typical range of temps any given summer day is between the low 50s at night and low 70s by day. The winters are long and unbroken. See this Wiki article for the nearby town on Songpan: Songpan Climate

Holger grows his plants in 4-5 parts perlite to 1 part sedge peat (a local product in China). In the garden I would recommend using sand instead of perlite, or use a completely inorganic medium as Ron Burch recommends. See his great article on growing Cyps here: Ron's Cyp Culture

My recommendation is stick with NA Cyps to begin with. C. parviflorum varieties (any), C. reginae, C. kentuckiense, and any number of the easier hybrids are the best choices for the beginning grower. Ron Burch is a good source, Raising Rarities, Plant Delights, etc. Not cheap however. If you haven't seen my article about NA Cyp sources, here it is: North American Cyp Sources.

 

[Ozpaph]

a VERY professional video with great commentary. Thanks.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Angela, Chinese Cyps are a tough group to grow in the eastern USA due to heating in summer. I'd say the typical range of temps any given summer day is between the low 50s at night and low 70s by day. The winters are long and unbroken. See this Wiki article for the nearby town on Songpan: Songpan Climate

My understanding is that another complication is that in the east coast US we get too much rain, so many of the plants rot in the winter.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

My understanding is that another complication is that in the east coast US we get too much rain, so many of the plants rot in the winter.

That's true, but you can protect them from winter wet fairly easily by covering the beds or making sure the drainage is perfect. Darcy Gunnlaugson used to have an extensive collection of Chinese Cyps in Victoria, B.C., an area that has a wet winter season with relatively little frost. The trick was the cool summers. C. flavum in particular is said to be intolerant of summer heat, while C. tibeticum is more flexible.

 

[abax]

Thank you, Tom. I've been looking over White Flower
Farm's offerings grown in Conn. I assume. However, the
prices are high and I hate hurting plants...especially at
their prices.

 

[cnycharles]

Seems like higher eastern U.S. Mountains might be more likely area to grow them to keep cooler


Elmer Nj

 

[Linus_Cello]

Folks in Florida supposedly grow C. pubescens and other cool cyps by bringing them inside for a few weeks and then put them in the fridge during late spring in to summer, and then bring them out in the winter. Possible that warmer parts of the US could do the same?

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Thank you, Tom. I've been looking over White Flower
Farm's offerings grown in Conn. I assume. However, the
prices are high and I hate hurting plants...especially at
their prices.

Angela, my only comment about WFF is that you can buy three for the price of their one elsewhere and they likely are getting their Cyps from the same sources. You shouldn't pay over $50 for a mature common species or hybrid, IMO.

Seems like higher eastern U.S. Mountains might be more likely area to grow them to keep cooler

Agreed Charles. For example elevations around 4000 feet in the southern Appalachians might be OK for Chinese Cyps.

Folks in Florida supposedly grow C. pubescens and other cool cyps by bringing them inside for a few weeks and then put them in the fridge during late spring in to summer, and then bring them out in the winter. Possible that warmer parts of the US could do the same?

Actually I did that for a while when I lived in Florida years ago. Worked sort of OK with parviflorum and reginae. I tried to grow kentuckiense and formosanum outside and failed. As for the Chinese species, I think they're more sensitive.