Checking out Epipactis Atrorubens and their Hybrids (6th June 2017)

Specimen No.19 and 20 plus 19a and 20a (Click over to enlarge)
Photo taken today 6th June 2017

The History of these plants: 

In 2014 they came up as a group of three and were heavily laden with flowers to the point they stayed bent over and could not go erect (see photo below).  In 2015 only two plants showed and it was also thought that these could well be Schmals (not confirmed), also this year the plants have come through erect and No.19 which is 20" high had 43 flowers and No.20 which is also 20" high had 42 flowers. In 2016 only one plant came through and survived.

In 2017 it is showing four plants No's 19 and 20 and two additional plants which are now named as 19a and 20a and they look very good.  Below is a photos showing the plants in 2014 and 2015, I still need to find the 2016 photo from the archives.

Shows Specimen 19 and 20 in 2014 (Click over to enlarge)
So many flowers were making the plant bend over

Specimen No.19 with 43 flowers and No.20 with 42 flowers in 2015

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Suspected parents to Schmalhauseneii No.2 (long gone) photo taken today 6th June 2017

This photo was taken today and clearly shows a Broad Leaved Helleborine on the left hand side and a Dark Red Helleborine on the right, it is approx 3ft between them yet the originals were far closer together as you see in the original photo below.  And it was these two parents back in 2013 produced what we think was Schmalhauseneii No.2 which failed in 2014 and again in 2015 due to slug predation. In 2016 and again in 2017 the plant failed to show. 

The suspected parent plants of Schmalhauseneii No.2 photographed in 2012 (Click over to enlarge)

This is showing the original Schmalhauseneii No.2

Sadly this plant is no longer with us although a strong plant back in 2012 yet did fall victim to deer predation in 2013, then slug predation in both 2014 and again in 2015. The Plant has just not come through in 2016 and again in 2017.