Hi,

wouldn't you like to grow Pleiones like this prize winning bowl of Pleione Tongariro ? 

Then look no further - my Pleiones will do that for you, given a little care and attention.

Top right: Close-up of flowers. By the way, Tongariro is my great favourite, tall, elegant and long lasting. There are 70 pseudobulbs in this bowl and it took four years from a starter of five bulbs to get to this size.

State of Play: 12th April 2008

Cypripedium formosanum put on a great show, one specimen plant had 19 flowers; other cyps are pushing up foliage and buds.

Under glass, more ventilation is needed now and I am applying Coolglass this weekend to provide some shade from the strong spring sun.

In the garden, watch out for slugs and snails.

Labels fade, and losing the name of a plant can be a bit disastrous. Better write a new label.

Pleiones need more water now, keep them moist but not wet.

Welcome to Heritage Orchids, my Pleione, Cypripedium and Hardy Orchid Nursery, where you will find a selection of easy to grow near hardy (pleiones) and hardy (everything else) orchids. 

Pleiones are available as flowering size bulbs (FS) and smaller bulbs (FS-1). 
FS:        The flowering size bulbs will have one or two buds when dispatched. 
FS-1:     The smaller bulbs will need to grow one more year before flowering. 
If you are new to Pleiones, you may not want to take that risk - go for flowering size. 

I use 'pseudobulbs' and 'bulbs' interchangeably; 'bulbs' is shorter and I trust you know what I mean.

What happens after the bulb gets to you is entirely up to your skill, i.e. correct compost, adequate watering, appropriate temperature etc. Full instructions are given, (see Cultivation). So don't worry, just follow them and you should be rewarded with the most delicate and appealing flowers.

My hardy orchids and cypripediums have been grown from seedlings for several years. They are dispatched “bare root”, i.e. stripped of compost, and need to be planted upon receipt. 

Something to think about

All our plants are from 'cultivated' stock, acquired as young bulbs or seedlings from reputable growers, mainly in the UK and some from Continental Europe. We do not sell plants taken from the wild.

Depending on the species or hybrid, orchids may take anything between 4 and 8 years to flower from seed. This explains why they aren’t cheap, as they need to be looked after for a long time, during which losses occur from adverse weather conditions, predation by slugs and snails etc. However, it all seems worthwhile as they are such a joy to behold, and they convey a great sense of achievement when they flower and grow into large clumps.

And let us not ignore the conservation benefits, which arise from growing seed-raised orchids. The more there are and the easier they are to obtain, the less pressure there will be on wild populations of these delightful plants. In nature, they suffer from habitat destruction by the advances of loggers and property developers as well as the indiscriminate pilferage of commercial collectors. So let's grow lots of them to ensure their conservation.