Walking the dog this morning, I was thrilled to discover that our native Pink Lady-Slippers (Cypripedium acaule) are up and in full bloom all along our woodland walking trails. This delicate beauty is often found in uncultivated woodland areas, preferring the dry, acidic soil and dappled light of a successional forest canopy. And I refer to these perennials as delicate, because they DO NOT transplant easily and their cultural requirements are specific. 
When they are not in flower, they are often overlooked,
their basal leaves looking unremarkable before going dormant in September. Because if this, they are often at risk of getting bulldozed or weeded! This danger would be the acceptable time to try digging up and transplanting these beauties, so if you know of such a situation: William Cullina has put together a very comprehensive "Transplanting Guide" http://www.williamcullina.com/files/Download/Transplanting%20Pink%20lady.pdf
4 comments:
They are lovely, good luck trying to transplant them!
Here in California, we have laws against wild collecting. People make fun of California, but I think this is a good thing.
My daughter in Tyngsboro who is a very new gardener, found out that she has lots of pink lady slippers in the little woodland between her lawn and the busy road. Amazing.
Yes, wild collecting can be problematic especially with more endangered species of Cypripedium. But I find "accidental" removal even more tragic. So, glad to hear that your daughter discovered these beauties in her yard! That is a happy ending.
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