I have a small clump of cypripedium from a farm in New England hanging on
(just barely, I imagine) in the inland Northwest. The guy who gave it to me
sent it when he was moving to the San Francisco Bay area, sure that he would
never be able to buy any commercially, and was unsure that a clump would
survive the climate of California. I have it in a shady bed, and I rake
lots of leaves over it every fall - but I have read that it has complex
symbiotic relationships with soil fungi, etc. so I know its survival here is
iffy. I have had it now for 5 years. I will be checking in the next few
weeks to see if it has survived this winter. There is no one who can fail to
be enchanted by the sight of the precious little slippers when they open
however. If it survives long enough - and maybe even spreads a little -
there might be a tiny non-new England population to try to propagate from.