Well I must admit, I think we do have some advantage here that I think makes a big difference. When it warms up the humidity drops like a rock. All of my property is on electronic sprinklers of one sort or another. My water source is pressurized river water and I can use as much as I want. What I do when it gets hot is to have the sprinklers go on for short periods of time at regular intervals during the day. Because it is so dry the evaporation increases the humidity and dramatically reduces temperatures at the plant level so that plants that don't like hot dry weather gets sited together so they can be managed in this way. That's the only way you can grow these orchids and the plants in the next link in the same yard. Yes, the cyps in the pictures are C. macranthum. I will through in a picture of a cyp that is not in flower but the leaves should give it away.
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/spring06rockgardenplants/websize/Picture% 20009.jpg http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/jimsrockgarden2010/websize/IMG_0033_1_.jp g http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/jimsrockgarden2010/websize/5-5-10-8.jpg Hard to believe that you can have a thriving population of C. regine only a few dozen yards away from such things as Astragalus coccineus or Penstemon acaulis or even Gilia caespitosa. Seems crazy to me anyhow. Jim hatchett Eagle, Idaho zone5 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim McKenney Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:50 PM To: 'Alpine-L, the Electronic Rock Garden Society; postings copyright by authors.' Subject: Re: [Alpine-l] Orchids in winter Amazing photos, Jim, in more ways than one. For instance, I know the Galeorchis as a plant of deep, shady woodlands - yet your photo suggests that you have it out in bright light. I have not heard of any local successes with Cypripedium reginae in this area, although some local gardeners are growing the Frosch hybrids. It may just be a matter of time and experimentation. Cypripedium reginae once grew wild in this state (and is said to persist in at least one location in nearby Virginia). One success for me has been Cypripedium japonicum: this one thrives here. Is the last one Cypripedium macranthum or something else? Your combination of high summer temperatures and low relative humidity, rather than being a hindrance, is probably to your advantage (look at the results you are getting!). I recently learned that growers in Victoria, Australia (5% relative humidity and temperatures over 140 degrees F on rare summer occasions) are able to grow martagon lilies. They are a struggle for us here in zone 7 Maryland, and we usually blame our hot summers. But although we rarely reach 100 degrees F, we routinely have very high summer humidity. Under our summer conditions, many plants seem to enter a sort of suspended animation (or non-animation): they are there but they are not doing anything. The high humidity probably complicates respiration for them. They don't do well. Maybe I should move to Idaho! Jim McKenney
_______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l
