Yellow Lady's Slipper*

Other Names: Lesser Lady's Slipper, Moccasin Flower

Description:

Exquisite and unusual, this wild orchid is distinguished by its inflated lemon-yellow pouch and twisted burgundy-brown petals; buy laboratory propagated plants, do not ever transplant; extremely slow growing and an endangered native plant

Ornamental Features:

Yellow Lady's Slipper features unusual nodding lemon yellow orchid-like flowers with burgundy bracts at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer. It's textured sword-like leaves remain emerald green in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Yellow Lady's Slipper is an open herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Yellow Lady's Slipper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Plant Characteristics:

Yellow Lady's Slipper will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial should be grown in a location that is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, neutral soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder zones. This plant can be propagated by multiplication of the underground bulbs.

This species is native to parts of North America.

 

* This is a "special order" plant - contact store for details