pink lady's slipper orchid
Cypripedium acaule
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles partial sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Pink
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Pink lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) is a perennial for woodland gardens, low maintenance beds, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes part sun to full shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. A leafless stalk bears one pink, slipper-like flower with red veins. Bees visit the blooms. Leave wild plants where they grow, since this orchid is difficult to grow in gardens.
Pairs well with Siberian bugloss, White phlox, and Blackhaw viburnum.
Native range
AL, CT, DC, DE, and 27 more places. See all 31
AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV; NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, and SK.