Hardy orchid
Bletilla striata · Orchidaceae
A true orchid that grows in ordinary garden soil: sprays of small, magenta-purple or white flowers, shaped like miniature florist's orchids, over pleated leaves in late spring.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around hardy orchid
The planner designed this bed around hardy orchid when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why hardy orchid stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 7, pink
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 8, yellow
- 3 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls' × 1, white
- 6 Coral bells 'Berry Smoothie' × 5, red leaves
- 7 Hardy orchid × 1, purple
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 3, blue
Why this plant
- The only purple.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between creeping mahonia (12 in) in front and brown-eyed Susan (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid May to mid June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei', foxglove beardtongue and deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls' in late May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. Creeping mahonia and bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hardy orchid goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It surprises everyone who sees it. The pleated leaves are a good vertical texture among hostas after the flowers finish. Mulch it for winter in colder zones, and protect early shoots from late frost.
- An orchid for the open garden
- Woodland edges
- Containers
What to plant with hardy orchid
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about hardy orchid
Does hardy orchid need sun or shade?
Hardy orchid grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does hardy orchid grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does hardy orchid flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Mid May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 8 | Late April to early June |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should hardy orchid be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hardy orchid plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is hardy orchid poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like hardy orchid?
Hardy orchid comes from East Asia, China to Central and Southern Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Shooting star: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, pink or white, not purple.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers late April to late May.
- Creeping Jacob's ladder: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, blue, not purple.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat hardy orchid?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide hardy orchid's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Bleeding heart: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, in flower early May to early June.
What does hardy orchid look like in winter?
Hardy orchid is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid June; purple, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Comes from
- East Asia, China to Central and Southern Japan
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.