Cypripedium 'Ulla Silkens'

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Cypripedium 'Ulla Silkens' is a hybrid ( C. reginae x C. flavum ). These words from Peter Corkhill member of Royal Horticultural Society well introduce this hybrid: "The first hybrid I tried in the open garden was Cypripedium 'Ulla Silkens' (Malmgren 1996), produced in Sweden by Svante Malmgren and named after his wife. This cross between North American Cypripedium reginae and Chinese Cypripedium flavum is a must for the beginner and produces strong, multi-stemmed clumps which often flower five years ex-flask. The flowers come in two main colour forms - pale lilac with multiple spots and a darker form reminiscent of the C. reginae parent but always displaying the delightful curled-back lateral sepals of C. flavum." These words were taken from a RHS article entitled Growing Cypripedium outdoors in Britain no longer available online. Photos from Giorgio Pozzi and Martin Bohnet, for whom 'Ulla Silkens' is both the latest flowering and tallest Cypripedium in his collection.