Cyps 2014

[parvi_17]

After a tough winter with several freeze-thaw cycles (at one point I think it went from -20 to plus 10 to -40 degrees Celsius in the course of a week or two) and a late spring, the Cyps are now starting to bloom. For me they are about 7-10 days later than usual I would say. A lot of the plants came back considerably smaller than last year. In particular every single plant with fasciolatum parentage, including the pure fasciolatums, came back with ZERO flowering shoots, and if you look back at last year's photos you will see that many of those plants had 5 or 6 flowers last year and were looking really nice. I didn't mulch most of my plants last year and I can tell you I won't make that mistake again. I am unsure if the winter was the real culprit but I do suspect it. C. kentuckiense and its hybrids are disappointing this year as well.

Some plants did come through just fine. Ventricosum Pastel is looking good and increased in size over last year:

381 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

382 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

384 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

Gisela also looks good and again increased in size over last year:

386 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

389 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

Sebastian went down from 12 to 9 flowers this year, which is disappointing, but the plant still looks healthy and the flowers are as impressive as ever.

393 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

More to come as things continue to open. I do have some photos of potted plants that bloomed earlier as well, which I will post once I get them organized. It's the dawn of a new age of Cyp growing, as not only are species like C. cordigerum now widely available from nursery grown stock, but hybrids and easy growing species are being sold at garden centres everywhere in western Canada, and I'm sure in many other places in Canada as well. The plants from Frosch, Anthura, and Hardy Orchid are now becoming available at relatively decent prices (they are gouging in Calgary though), and that can only mean good things for the future.

 

[parvi_17]

For those wondering, the tufts of grasses around the plants are the result of a rescue transplanting of Amerorchis rotundifolia I did back in 2008. The plants were brought in with native soil and any other plants they were growing with. The grass has been difficult to control as pulling it out often disrupts the tiny and delicate orchids. It is unsightly but it's the price I pay to have those beauties in my yard.

 

[NYEric]

Cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[SlipperFan]

Those are all just beautiful!

 

[abax]

Wonderful job of growing these beauties. They look so delicate and are
really quite tough in the right environment.

 

[parvi_17]

Thanks for the comments.

Wonderful job of growing these beauties. They look so delicate and are
really quite tough in the right environment.

Yes, tough is the word! The biggest reason why I post my photos here every year is because I want to show how well these things survive in the Hellish climate I live in. Now of course, some of these are native species to my area, but I also grow a lot of species and hybrids from Asia and the southern US that do just fine here. This is a USDA zone 3 climate where not only do temperatures drop to -45 Celsius (sometimes lower with the windchill) every winter, but we are now consistently getting those aforementioned extreme temperature swings which are so incredibly hard on plants. Add to that the periods of drought and relatively intense heat we experience in the summer, and occasional violent storms, and plants really have to deal with a lot here! As disappointed as I am with how some of the plants came back this year (the ones pictured here not included), I am truly grateful that I have any success at all.

 

[John M]

Those are some really beautiful Cyps! I am envious. I have a big patch of pubescens that I love; but, I see so may new species and hybrids on price lists and I drool and drool and drool! So far, I've not seen them for sale in the garden centres here. 'Wish that would change!

 

[Linus_Cello]

I haven't seen any cyps in my garden center yet either. Sigh... (went to one of the best nurseries in the area, and they don't have cyps, cobra lilies or calylophous).
What is that stunning trillium? I like the mottled bi-color.

 

[parvi_17]

I haven't seen any cyps in my garden center yet either. Sigh... (went to one of the best nurseries in the area, and they don't have cyps, cobra lilies or calylophous).
What is that stunning trillium? I like the mottled bi-color.

I imagine it is only a matter of time before Cyps become more widespread in other areas. As a garden center manager, I can tell you the primary reason why these plants aren't stocked is the high price in combination with perceived low demand. If enough people ask for them, garden centers will start ordering them. If your local garden center doesn't have a source for them, offering Blooming Nursery in Oregon as a suggestion. I'm not sure what their quality is like but they do grow them.

 

[parvi_17]

Oh and by the way, that's just a plain old Trillium grandiflorum.

 

[Linus_Cello]

I imagine it is only a matter of time before Cyps become more widespread in other areas. As a garden center manager, I can tell you the primary reason why these plants aren't stocked is the high price in combination with perceived low demand. If enough people ask for them, garden centers will start ordering them. If your local garden center doesn't have a source for them, offering Blooming Nursery in Oregon as a suggestion. I'm not sure what their quality is like but they do grow them.

I think nursery centers will likely offer cyps in order to compete with the big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart). To survive, they'll have to provide the more unusual and rare plants, and not the downy mildew infested impatiens at the big box stores. Unless you can sell cyps at less than $5 US, I don't see the general public buying these plants since the flower season is only a few weeks (never mind the slightly more specialized care possibly needed). Vandas as summer "annual" disposable plants are more likely than cyps (mericloning to bring down price, and long and reblooming flowering) as the next outdoor orchid (besides Bletillas).

But I digress. Really, that's a regular trillium?

 

[parvi_17]

I think nursery centers will likely offer cyps in order to compete with the big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart). To survive, they'll have to provide the more unusual and rare plants, and not the downy mildew infested impatiens at the big box stores. Unless you can sell cyps at less than $5 US, I don't see the general public buying these plants since the flower season is only a few weeks (never mind the slightly more specialized care possibly needed). Vandas as summer "annual" disposable plants are more likely than cyps (mericloning to bring down price, and long and reblooming flowering) as the next outdoor orchid (besides Bletillas).

But I digress. Really, that's a regular trillium?

You might be surprised at how many people will buy these plants. I sold 120 of them at the garden centre I work at this year at $60 each. We have another 30 people at least on the waiting list for next year. Then again, I live in a totally different place than you. You can't grow either Vandas or Bletillas outdoors here (well, Bletillas will grow as an annual but they don't sell here, not showy enough). Our summers are too dry for Vandas, they would literally have the life sucked out of them by the air I'm sure.

Yes, it's just a Trillium grandiflorum. As you probably know they blush pink as they age, this one for some reason blushes a "mottled" pink.

 

[Linus_Cello]

You might be surprised at how many people will buy these plants. I sold 120 of them at the garden centre I work at this year at $60 each. We have another 30 people at least on the waiting list for next year. Then again, I live in a totally different place than you. You can't grow either Vandas or Bletillas outdoors here (well, Bletillas will grow as an annual but they don't sell here, not showy enough). Our summers are too dry for Vandas, they would literally have the life sucked out of them by the air I'm sure.

Yes, it's just a Trillium grandiflorum. As you probably know they blush pink as they age, this one for some reason blushes a "mottled" pink.

What plant did you sell at $60 each? A cyp?
For vandas, it's easy to spray water when the plant is outdoors.

 

[cnycharles]

very nice flowers

 

[parvi_17]

What plant did you sell at $60 each? A cyp?
For vandas, it's easy to spray water when the plant is outdoors.

Yes, we had reginae, reginae alba, Gisela, Philipp and kentuckiense all available at $60 each, all blooming size and many with 2-3 growths. The same plants are available to garden centres across Canada.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Well the great experiment of mass marketing Cyps is underway in Europe right now. It will be interesting to see if it is worth growing a plant for 5 or 6 years and then sell it for the equivalent of $30 or less (and that's retail), or if the bottom will fall out on such efforts. Marketing Cyps is the difficult part, at least in garden centers, since their flowers are so delicate and the plants don't re-bloom within the season. Kind of like safely delivering a delicate fruit such as pawpaws to market - they have to look good upon arrival and more or less ripe. Tough to do.

 

[parvi_17]

Well the great experiment of mass marketing Cyps is underway in Europe right now. It will be interesting to see if it is worth growing a plant for 5 or 6 years and then sell it for the equivalent of $30 or less (and that's retail), or if the bottom will fall out on such efforts. Marketing Cyps is the difficult part, at least in garden centers, since their flowers are so delicate and the plants don't re-bloom within the season. Kind of like safely delivering a delicate fruit such as pawpaws to market - they have to look good upon arrival and more or less ripe. Tough to do.

I agree that their short season makes them difficult to market, and for that reason I don't think they'll ever become more than a niche item. However they can at least become widely available for those who want them, and at reasonable prices. Here at least, there is sufficient demand to drive a market for them.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Agreed, Cyps for now are in demand - whatever you can produce people will buy. I just wonder how long or if that will last.

 

[em_tee_w]

Should be marketed like spring-flowering bulbs and other ephemerals

 

[parvi_17]

Time for an update...

One of my pubescens, and my favorite out of all of them because of the round pouch and dark tepals:

019 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

Aki, blooming for the first time. I bought this plant as a multi-growth, "near blooming size" seedling probably about 5 years ago and it has taken this long to bloom!

021 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

Paul, which has been one of my best performers, a bit less yellow this year:

024 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

036 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

Pixi (in a pot):

049 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

And Memoriam Shawna Austin. This, I think, is the best plant in my entire collection:

047 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr

046 by DiabolicaHerba, on Flickr