Giving native orchids a shot
I am very proud of my friend Cheryl for finding this website for sustainably buying native orchid seedlings. This is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me excited about gardening—new challenges. Neither of us would even try if we had to pay $50 and up for these but we’re willing to roll the dice (as a Rant commenter put it) for some reasonably-priced seedlings. If they do naturalize, that might be too good to be true.
These are meant for Northern climates—they don’t do well south of Iowa, according to the website. And many of them used to be much more commonly found in the woodlands of the Northeast. I have to say I have never seen a wild orchid. How sad is that? But then, I don’t get out into the parks and preserves around here as often as I should in the spring, when the weather can be iffy. This spring: wildflower walks for sure. I understand there are some great places.
Comments
Gorgeous pictures !
Thank you for telling us about these.
Which one's capture your fancy?
However, I must copy and paste this comment from Garden Rant:
I've grown several Cyp species for years, and I'd definitely recommend biting the bullet and starting with mature plants. Seedlings are touchy little critters, and take years to reach the point where they can be trusted in the open garden. Good sources for these plants (not cheap, but very trustworthy and informative) are the Wild Orchid Company (Dr. Bill Mathis is a wealth of info on growing these plants), Raising Rarities, and Hillside Nursery, all of which have good, informative websites. Stick to the specialist growers when purchasing these, for sure; general bulb brokers are not equipped to offer these plants the care they need in order to arrive safely in your garden, in my experience.
If the link doesn't work, here it is so you can cut and paste:
http://www.shootingstarnursery.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=4&sort=2a&page=8
$15 to $20 for an orchid. Darn cheap when some of the nurseries are charging over $100. Hurry and order though. They may run out quickly at those prices.
Katarina at Roses and stuff
Sean