Ground Orchid

Last weekend I purchased an orchid from Southern Homes in Montgomery, AL. When I saw it was only $10, I grabbed it. Where can you get an orchid for that price that is blooming! And at Southern Homes, too. I have done some research on it since I brought it home and found out it has a horrible name--Spathoglottis. It sounds like it might be a throat condition. This is a terrestrial orchid of tropical climes so I will not be growing it in the ground here in Alabama. As near as I can tell, it probably originated in the Phillipines or somewhere in there. This pot seems to have several plants in it, so that is a definite plus.

These are Betilla, another ground orchid. I bought these from some cheap mail order place maybe as long ago as 30 years.There were probably 3 to 5 bulbs in the beginning. They die back in the fall and sit in these pots without water till they start new growth in February. They come up ready to bloom.. These are potted in regular potting soil. A couple times I have tried them in the ground, and although they came back one year, they did not bloom and the foliage usually gets cut down by frost because they come out too early. Someone in Auburn told me they had them in their yard where they bloomed. And I do remember when Village Arbors was in business, they had them in the ground. I guess it is a little too cold out here in the country.

Bletilla striata, Chinese Ground orchid

 

 

 

I have grown Betilla stricta for many years in the greenhouse. When I first got the pseudobulbs of this orchid, they were quite cheap, and although the price has risen over the last 30 years, they are still cheap. I have tried them in the ground a couple of times, but without much luck. One they returned for a couple years, but never bloomed; the frost always nipped them back. I have seen them growing at the old Village Arbors in Auburn, Alabama, so I know they should be able to make it outdoors here. The recommendation is to cover them deeply with mulch and not remove it till all danger of frost is past. Also the corms should be planted near the surface of the ground and receive adequate moisture in the growing season and be kept relatively dry while they are dormant. For me this just works out better to keep them in pots in the greenhouse over winter. After the foliage starts to die down in the fall, I turn the pots on their sides and do not water again till the growth has started in the spring.
I think these are beautiful little charmers, looking pretty much like their giant cousins , the catteyla. They are very easy to grow in a pot and will reward you in January and February with a burst of flowers when you need them most. They are terrestrial orchids and can be grown in any well drained commercial media, no need for orchid potting media.