Epipactis Gigantea Care

[PNWnative]

Hi there,

Long time orchid lover, first time poster .

I live in the Pacific Northwest and planted a few E gigantea by my pond. Over the summer one of them died back to the ground while the other two looked good.

They’ve since died back to the ground after getting paler and wilting. Should I trim the dead growth or does it not really matter? Also, is there a chance the one that disappeared over the summer simply went dormant and survived in the rhizome?

Thank you!

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I'm not familiar with this plant. I think the one that died back may still have a live rhizome.

[PNWnative]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I'm not familiar with this plant. I think the one that died back may still have a live rhizome.

Thanks estación!

It’s a neat native orchid, I believe it grows in most of AZ too. Also known as the stream orchid. Not as showy as the usual ware on these boards but I adore this native .

[Afid]

For the old stems it should be fine either way, trimming them might look a bit neater in the spring though. As far as the one that disappeared, it is likely just hiding in the rhizome but its hard to say for sure. E. gigantea is a fairly rapid spreader so it will likely fill in the gap relatively quickly if that one never returns.

I have been looking into getting some for a bog garden since they are one of my favorite Montana native orchids but I haven't been able to find any available, where did you get yours?

[Roberta]

Welcome!

The one that died back early might have just gotten a bit drier. I would expect that all are dormant now. I have one in a pot that died back in mid-summer, and now is actually sprouting. Here's hoping, usually I don't see green until around February.

[PNWnative]

Originally Posted by Afid

For the old stems it should be fine either way, trimming them might look a bit neater in the spring though. As far as the one that disappeared, it is likely just hiding in the rhizome but its hard to say for sure. E. gigantea is a fairly rapid spreader so it will likely fill in the gap relatively quickly if that one never returns.

I have been looking into getting some for a bog garden since they are one of my favorite Montana native orchids but I haven't been able to find any available, where did you get yours?

I appreciate the response! That makes me feel better .

I got it at Edelweiss Perennials. They have two listings, one is sold out but if you search on the site you can find the other for sale. I wanted the usual green foliage but all I could find were the Serpentine Night cultivar, which is a beautiful burgundy foliage originally found in California.

Do you happen to grow native Platanthera or Spiranthes? Been searching for a source that has the western species.

---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:49 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Welcome!

The one that died back early might have just gotten a bit drier. I would expect that all are dormant now. I have one in a pot that died back in mid-summer, and now is actually sprouting. Here's hoping, usually I don't see green until around February.

Thanks Roberta! That’s awesome to hear . Hoping for the same.

[Afid]

Originally Posted by PNWnative

Do you happen to grow native Platanthera or Spiranthes? Been searching for a source that has the western species.

Not yet unfortunately, but I have been working to grow some species from seed (collected from my yard), its hard to say if that will succeed though.