Bletilla striata in zone 3b? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

sucuz · #11 07-31-2008, 11:44 AM

I vote for the store-in-the-pot method also. Bletilla striata grows nicely here in the Grand Rapids, MI area (zone 5b). I had just gotten some of them a few years back and was wondering where to put them when I met someone who had a nice little patch of them. He said that he had not been having much luck with them and had moved them around his walled garden several times with little success. About to give up, he moved them into his mostly sunny 'holding' area. It was slighly raised, sandy soil, and at the very edge of the reach of his hose. They thrived. Seems that they like well-drained sandy or gravelly soil, shade from the hottest part of the day, shelter from the drying west and north winds. Water if it gets drought-y, but they seem to thrive on neglect.

I have a little patch of them in my garden. They are located at the base of a miscanthus sinsensis, about 7 o'clock position if you center on the miscanthus and look south. This gives them plenty of light, but shades them from the heat of the day and from drying west winds. My house is about 20 feet or so to the north so that shelters them from north winds. I have not mulched them over the winter and lost a few of them this winter. The ones that came back didn't bloom, so they were the more immature plants.

There is a nice stand of them at Meijer Gardens in the English Perennial Garden. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures (next year though). The patch was about 4x6 feet and bloomed around mid to late June. They are on the east side and at the base of a yew hedge which protects them. They are not mulched over the winter either.

Hardy little rascals, but for a UP winter, definitely take them in.

icedtea2008 · #12 07-31-2008, 01:29 PM

Liesurely - oh wow i didn't know that! it will be exciting to see that this spring =) Do you know how long the blooms stay? Because if i have it in my garage, it will probably start to show spring growth when we're still getting frost at night, and I'd hate to have it only bloom in my garage and never outdoors where i can enjoy it =P

icedtea2008 · #13 07-31-2008, 01:43 PM

sucuz - beside the zone difference, your soil conditions and locoation for your bletilla sound alot like where i planned on putting mine when i was going to pant them directly in the ground. It nice to hear they do well in areas shaded from the afternoon sun and north and west winds, because our house is very shelteed from most winds, and I plan to set the my plant on the north side of our house. I'm sure you also get a good amount of humidity there in Grand Rapids (one of my favorite shopping areas actually!) because of the winds off the lake, which is also what conditions are like here for me =)

sucuz · #14 07-31-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icedtea2008

sucuz - beside the zone difference, your soil conditions and locoation for your bletilla sound alot like where i planned on putting mine when i was going to pant them directly in the ground. It nice to hear they do well in areas shaded from the afternoon sun and north and west winds, because our house is very shelteed from most winds, and I plan to set the my plant on the north side of our house. I'm sure you also get a good amount of humidity there in Grand Rapids (one of my favorite shopping areas actually!) because of the winds off the lake, which is also what conditions are like here for me =)

If it's going on the north side of the house, be sure that it is sheltered from the cold north winds. You might consider planting it in a pot, sinking the pot in the ground for the summer, then lifting the pot and storing it in a more sheltered location until the spring warmup. Or mulch it really, really, really, really well over the winter.

For those who want to grow some moderate climate terrestial orchids, bletilla striata is pretty easy. See previous post for growing conditions. Be sure that you grow them in well-drained soil. If the soil holds too much moisture they may rot out during the growing season and will certainly freeze out during the winter. Relatively inexpensive. Garden catalogs (Parks, Wayside, Jungs) carry them. They also come in an alba (white) variety. Just be sure that you get the one that is the most hardy for your area. Most bletillas only go to zone 6. Striata goes to 5. Pot it up or lift it if colder.

PS They seem to bloom for about 4 weeks or so.

Royal · #15 08-01-2008, 10:21 AM

sucuz nailed it. Let me just add that (in my area) they benefit from a thick layer of loose mulch as they are coming out of dormancy. This protects the tips of emerging shoots while the nights below freezing taper off. As soon as frosts are done, hit it with a good orchid fertilizer and it will LEAP! Give it plenty of water while actively growing, but once they're done flowering, they are extremely drought tolerant.