The orchids of the genus Paphiopedilum (Lady Slippers or paphs) are probably the second best choice for growing in the home. The phalaenopsis beat the paphs only by the ability to rebloom on the old stems. The paph flowers are very long lasting (often 3 to 4 months) and the plants need only a bright spot, not requiring any direct sunlight. The plants are easy to grow, but they do not like to dry out and they like good humidity. The warm growing varieties with mottled foliage are the best bet for the house because they bloom readily with no special treatment. The cool growing varieties have plain green foliage and require a good cooling off to set buds, so they are not usually recommended for the house unless you have a cool room where they can get down into the low to mid fifties at night or even lower (but don't freeze them).
A third group has plain green foliage and numerous blooms on a stem. Called multiflorals these are warm growing and good for the house environment. If bought as small seedlings, these may require several years to attain blooming size.
Although we do not list many paphs in our catalog, we usually have a good supply of the warm and cool growers with too few of any one kind to list. Warm growing plants with buds set are available in the winter through spring for $20.00 plus $8.00 shipping and packing. Larger and smaller plants may be available at lower and higher prices, respectively.
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