Hillside Nursery

For growing Lady-Slippers, Anemonopsis, Glaucidium, Paeonia japonica, Trillium grandiflorum:

Light: Morning or evening sun is okay, but plants should be shaded in midday. High open shade or the shade of the north side of a building will work very well.

Soil: Should be evenly moist but well-drained with lime added. A layer of mulch is very beneficial; we use bark or pine needles with a dusting of lime. It will keep the soil cool and evenly moist. The soil should not be allowed to dry out completely, especially during the first year as plants are getting established. Depending on the soil you are starting with, you may want to augment it. If your soil is a heavy clay you will want to loosen it up by adding sharp sand and humus (rotten bark, leaf mold, or well-aged compost). If, on the other hand, your soil is a dry open sandy type, you would want to add loam and humus. At the nursery, we grow the lady-slippers in a mix of one-half coarse sand and one-half bark.

Mulch: A layer of mulch is very important. We use bark with a light layer of pine needles on top. It will keep the soil cool and evenly moist. The soil should not be allowed to dry out completely, especially during the first year, as plants are getting established. Once the ground has started to freeze, we recommend adding a layer of straw or pine boughs to privide additional winter protection. This is especially important for fall plantings. Remove this extra layer in spring.

Fertilizer: When planted in a good rich soil, fertilizer is not always necessary. However, you may wish to try a yearly spring application of a granular organic fertilizer. If you like to actively fertilize, you can apply a quarter-strength liquid fertilizer every 7 to 10 day from spring until mid-August.

Planting: Plants should be planted with the tips of their buds just below the surface when mulch is used, or a little deeper if not. Lady-Slippers should be planted with their roots spread out in the top four inches of the soil. Their roots tend to grow horizontally, and only go deeper in dry conditions. Care should be taken when planting that the roots are not exposed to the sun or drying wind.

Watering: Please resist all temptation to over-water. These plants like an evenly moist soil and should be watered only through dry periods such as late summer. Like most other perennials, they should never be allowed to dry out completely.

For Arisaema/Cobra lily:

Light, Soil, Fertilizer: As above except they do not need lime added to the soil.

Planting: The bulbs are best planted around 3 inches deep.