While my interest in native orchids is nominal, I have been interested in the genus Epipactis and the genus Cypripedium. Both appear to have a similar type
of growth habit as well as a similar habitat of occurrence: basically natural seeps or springs. Because our local weather is fairly mild compared to the areas where Cypripediums normally occur, growing the natives outside of their natural range of occurrence requires some dedicated techniques to meet their cooling off periods and in-pot cultivation for ease of culture.
A couple of years ago I ran across the offering by Spangle Creek Labs
http://www.spanglecreeklabs.com/
I discovered that they offerred Cypripedium californicum and decided that i would invest the time and space to try and grow them. I also wanted to test out
my gravel base mix on them to see if it would yield good results.
Here are 6 pages that I have put together to bring my experiment up to date.
