Joe's Cyps 2013

[parvi_17]

Cyp season is just beginning in my zone 3 garden. Each year Emil and Sebastian compete to be the first to bloom; this year's winner is Emil, with Sebastian running a close second. This is an exciting year for me as I have some things in bud that haven't bloomed for me before. I also overwintered a couple things that I was slightly concerned about for hardiness, despite "hearing" they should be okay, namely fasciolatum and Ursel. With those successes I'm optimistic about henryi and will try overwintering it as soon as I can get my hands on one. I bought a californicum and I heard from a grower in Calgary that he overwintered his for three consecutive seasons outdoors, but I think that one will overwinter in the fridge for me.

Anyway, here's some pics of Emil. I show pics every year and you'll notice if you look back the past two or three years this plant hasn't multiplied. It also stopped producing double-flowered growths, and the plant seems overall smaller and less robust than it was years ago. I think this fall I will lift it and give it some new soil, maybe try dividing it in half. It's growing in a relatively heavy soil that I was experimenting with, and I don't think it's working that well. It's only been since I moved it into this soil that the plant seems to have become somewhat stunted.

 

[NYEric]

I'll take it!
Very nice contrasting colors.

 

[Erythrone]

wow!!! Very nice!

 

[nikv]

Very pretty!

 

[parvi_17]

Thanks everyone

 

[Dido]

It looks pretty do you fertilize it good, when it stopps growing.

Sometimes it help if you lift it in fall and cut it into 2 peices and plant in new soil. when they stop to multiply not always a bad sign but could be.
Or was the winter different from the years before....
You have a lot of leaves around do you add calcium from time to time

 

[parvi_17]

It looks pretty do you fertilize it good, when it stopps growing.

Sometimes it help if you lift it in fall and cut it into 2 peices and plant in new soil. when they stop to multiply not always a bad sign but could be.
Or was the winter different from the years before....
You have a lot of leaves around do you add calcium from time to time

It gets fertilized regularly from the time the shoots first emerge until late summer. Last winter was relatively mild and had two or three thaws, which damaged a lot of evergreens in the area... but this is shaping up to be my best year yet for Cyps. It wasn't the winter. Plus, this plant has been capped at 6 flowers for the past 3 years or so. I'm confident that if I divide it and replace the soil in the fall it will get a growth spurt.

I add calcium to the soil each fall in the form of bone meal.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Man, I love your stunted plants! Agreed though, you should dig them up in the fall and check the roots. With Cyps, lighter soils are always safer and give better results.

If you want to see stunted plants come over to my place and have a look :sob:

 

[parvi_17]

Man, I love your stunted plants! Agreed though, you should dig them up in the fall and check the roots. With Cyps, lighter soils are always safer and give better results.

If you want to see stunted plants come over to my place and have a look :sob:

Well, when I say "heavy" I mean heavy for Cyps; it's actually a loose garden loam. I usually use more inorganic mixes and lately I've been using a coir-based mix similar to what Ron Burch recommends on his website. I've found most Cyps grow like weeds in that mix, with beautiful long white roots. I'll move this Emil into that mix this fall.

 

[parvi_17]

I'm incredibly frustrated - a hailstorm last night did some damage to my plants. Nothing terribly serious, just annoying. A few flowers on my x ventricosum Pastel and one of the flowers on my Aki Pastel, both just starting to open, were wrecked. A reginae alba I have sitting in a pot with leaves the size of a Hosta was also shredded. I'll post photos of Sebastian tonight, provided it doesn't storm again.

 

[NYEric]

:sob: That sucks, sorry to hear.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I know the feeling Joe - it is a bummer to wait all year only to have them crushed or bug bit. One of the hazards of growing in the open garden.

 

[parvi_17]

Here is Sebastian. This is such a handsome plant, I love it. 12 flowers this year. It gets better every year. Much easier to grow than montanum. I took a lot of pics .

 

[SlipperFan]

I like the white pouch against the brown petals -- beautiful.

 

[Carl Austin]

Well done Joe. You have happy Cyps - even those you think are "stunted".

Carl

 

[parvi_17]

Thanks to both of you! Carl, I just couldn't think of a better word to describe the Emil's reduced performance over the past couple years, ahaha. It's still a nice plant for sure.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Gorgeous! I love it, an easy to grow montanum look alike.

 

[Dido]

your sebastian is really great, have to try it too

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Beautiful cyps, Joe! Too bad about the hail; I hold my breath every time a storm rolls through here...

I've got some parviflorums that I got from Shawn and Monica that are back up again this year, so I'm doing the happy dance. I also picked up a Gisela from Shawn at our show this year to try.

 

[parvi_17]

Thanks for the comments!

Here is Paul. This has grown to become one of my favorites. The flowers are larger than Gisela, with vibrant, clean colors, and the plant is a strong grower. Went from 3 flowers last year to 7 this year.





Here is my Gisela next to a couple pubescens:



And a close-up of Gisela:



My x ventricosum Pastel. This plant really increased in size this year. It produced 8 flowers, up from 2 last year, and two of the stems have two flowers each. However, several of the flowers were damaged in a hailstorm, and most of them have horns on the pouch. It's also hard to photograph due to its position. Hoping it produces better flowers next year, and that hail doesn't ruin it...



Here is a first-bloom seedling of x andrewsii. Small flower on a 4-5" tall plant. Very cute.



And lastly for today, Aki Pastel. Has only produced 3 flowers the past few years, but it keeps increasing the number of shoots. I have a feeling next year it might suddenly produce lots of flowers. The flowers are a very good size, always a favorite.