Advice for Terrestrial Orchids in the Garden
 

Today I bought a hardy orchid for garden use at my local Nursery, Bletilla Strata Pink. The $10 price made it an easy selection!

Any advice to ensure it thrives in my Northern New Jersey (USA) (Zone 6b) garden? I’m still doing internet research, but it appears to be an easy grower and will overwinter in my area with a light mulch for protection.

I have a greenhouse of potted orchids, but this is my first venture with garden growing. All advice welcome!

(P.S. this is my first post ever)

Hello and welcome!

I too have these and believe st. Louis is in the same zone. I have mine planted near the house base to aid with heat in case of extreme cold. I have noticed that the ones getting direct morning light do better than those that don't get a lot.

What kind of soil do you guys have there?

Oh, and other than the typical garden watering, more when it's hot, I really don't do anything and they have been reliable every year.

Our soil is acidic and heavy. I am expecting to do some soil improvement in the area to get better drainage. I haven't decided where to plant, but could certainly plant near the house as I have several border gardens around the house which get a couple of hours of sun (at most) each day in specific spots.

They come from soils that are not quite so acidic. Coming from China, the place I playfully call "the limestone capital of the world" - (it may not really be, but there seems to be a whole lot of it there), there's calcium in the soil. If you do improvement, that's where it should be - just add lime.

We amended the soil before planting, them added a limestone patio, so sure that helped since it was within 1 foot.