128 SCfje ffiarHen's Storj?. 



most beautiful of plants for the shady portion 

 of the Alpine garden. The showy orchis (Or- 

 chis spectabilis), the earliest of the Orchidacea, 

 thrives under cultivation. The yellow lady's- 

 slippers (Cypripedium pubescens and parviflo- 

 runi) will do in the open border, but they never 

 look appropriate, and the blossoms never attain 

 the size or last as long as they do cultivated in 

 shade. I have found both in nature, however, 

 where the shade had been cut down, with thrifty 

 stalks and well-formed roots. Indeed, the habi- 

 tat of these two lady's-slippers varies extremely, 

 both occurring (the large pubescens particularly) 

 on dry, sandy banks and low, swampy woods ; 

 in marshy places the plants attain a far larger 

 size and remain much longer in blossom. The 

 showy or pink lady's-slipper (C, spectabtle) is 

 likewise easily grown when its natural surround- 

 ings are imitated ; it is the showiest of all ter- 

 restrial orchids, and among the most distinct 

 and beautiful of hardy plants. I find this does 

 better, when transplanted, if the new shoot is 

 cut out of the .old wig of roots below it, the old 

 roots seeming to encumber the plant. C. acaule, 

 the stemless lady's-slipper, is a very handsome 

 variety, erroneously thought to be almost impos- 

 sible to establish. I find its purple flower some- 

 times in dry places, but commonly in damp 



