Ornamental · Orchidaceae
Ground Orchid
Bletilla striata
A laid-back orchid that grows right in the garden soil and sends up pink blooms every spring.
Partial shade
Every 3–7 days
USDA 5–9
12–24 in · 30–60 cm
Overview
Think orchids aren't for you? The ground orchid begs to differ. It grows in plain old garden soil from little underground corms, comes back on its own every year, and honestly barely asks for anything. Most springs it sends up pleated leaves that look a bit like bamboo, then a slim stem of magenta-pink flowers that could easily pass for their tropical cousins.
And here's the thing, it's a lot tougher than those pretty flowers let on. It's hardy to roughly USDA zone 5, so it dies back to the ground each fall and pops back up once the soil warms. Give it humus-rich, well-drained soil and a spot in dappled shade or morning sun, and one clump will slowly spread into a nice big patch over a few seasons.
Once it's happy, the best thing you can do is pretty much nothing. Water it through the growing season, let it dry out and go dormant over winter, and split the clump every few years so the flowers keep coming.
Care
The short version: stick it in rich, well-drained soil in partial shade, keep it moist through spring and summer, and let the corms rest dry over winter. Split the clump every few years and you'll get pink blooms each spring.
Light
Ground orchids are happiest in partial shade, that kind of dappled light or easy morning sun you'd get at the edge of some woods. They'll handle more sun, even full sun, as long as you keep the soil moist for them. The only place they really won't flower well is deep, heavy shade.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist through spring and summer while it's growing, and check on it every 3 to 7 days. Once the leaves yellow and die back, ease off and let the dormant corms sit out winter on the dry side. Soggy winter soil? That's the quickest way to rot them, so watch for it.
Soil
Plant it in humus-rich, well-drained loam with a good bit of organic matter mixed in. Any pH from 5.5 to 7.0 works fine, so most garden soil is already close enough. Sharp drainage is the bit that really matters, especially as the cold weather rolls in.
Temperature
This one's a cold-hardy orchid, happy across a wide range from about -13°F to 86°F (-25°C to 30°C). The top growth dies off with the first hard frosts, but the corms just wait out winter underground and come back up in spring.
Humidity
Average humidity, somewhere around 40% to 60%, is all it wants, and outdoor air pretty much handles that on its own. No misting or fussing needed here.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through spring and summer while it's actively growing, using a balanced general-purpose fertilizer. Once the leaves start fading in fall, stop, since a dormant plant has no use for it anyway.
Pruning
There's next to no pruning here. Snip off the spent flower stalks once the blooms fade, then cut the dead foliage back in late fall after it yellows, and that's it.
Repotting
A clump will happily sit for 3 to 4 years before it needs any attention. When the pseudobulbs start crowding up above the soil, flowering drops off, or the middle of the clump goes bare, that's your sign to lift and divide. Bonus? That's also when you get to make more plants.
Size & spacing
Plants get to about 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) tall and spread 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) wide. Set your divisions roughly that far apart so each clump has room to fill in without stepping on its neighbors.
When to plant
Get ground orchids in the ground in early spring, right as the soil warms up and the corms wake from dormancy. The flowers show up in late spring, usually across May and June, and the foliage sticks around all summer before dying back for winter.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: early spring
- Harvest: late spring (May to June)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Ground orchids don't cause much trouble, and when they do, it's usually easy to figure out. Most of it comes down to wet winter soil, a slug or two, or a clump that's just gotten too crowded. Find what matches below and deal with it early, while it's still a small job.
Shoots that fail to appear in spring or rot at the base
So the shoots never showed up, or they came up and flopped over soft at the base? That's pseudobulb rot, and it nearly always traces to soil that stayed wet around the corms all through winter. In the coldest zones, frost can finish off bare corms too. Just dig one up and give it a feel: firm and pale is good, soft brown and mushy is not. Replant the healthy ones in soil that drains quick, throw a mulch over the bed before the next freeze, and you're back in business.
Fix:
- Lift and discard rotted corms, replant healthy firm pseudobulbs in fast-draining amended soil
- Improve drainage by incorporating grit or planting in a raised bed
Healthy leaves but few or no flowers
Leaves looking great but the flowers just aren't happening? Usually that means the clump has gotten overcrowded or it's parked in too much shade. Scrape down a bit and you'll probably find the pseudobulbs squeezed in tight against each other. Split the clump in early spring to wake it up, and give it a new home where it can catch some morning sun or dappled light.
Fix:
- Divide congested clumps in early spring to reinvigorate flowering
- Relocate to a site with morning sun or dappled light
Ragged holes chewed through leaves and flowers
Ragged holes in the leaves and flowers? That's slugs and snails, and they can't resist the soft new shoots coming up in spring. Pop outside at dusk or right after it rains and you'll catch them in the act, slime trails and all. Pick them off by hand, and it really helps to put a barrier or a bit of bait around the shoots as they emerge.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs and snails in the evening
- Use barriers or appropriate slug controls around emerging shoots
Toxicity
Got pets or kids? Good news, because the ground orchid is non-toxic and safe. Orchids as a group don't carry anything harmful, and there's no poison in the leaves, the flowers, or the corms. Worst case, a nibble might mean a mild, passing tummy ache, same as you'd get from overdoing it on any plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are fine with it. Sure, a curious one that chews a leaf might drool a little or feel queasy, but that's just about any houseplant for you, and there's nothing poisonous in this orchid.
Dogs None
Dogs are good too. There's no toxin in play, though a dog that scarfs down a big mouthful of leaves could get a quick tummy ache from all the roughage.
Horses Safe
Horses have nothing to worry about. There's nothing harmful in the plant, so a nibble while grazing won't cause any bother.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are all set. The leaves and corms don't hold any toxin, so a stray bite here and there is totally harmless.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep? All fine. Nothing in the foliage is going to poison a grazing animal.
Birds Safe
Birds are safe around it. A pet or backyard bird can share a room with this orchid and be perfectly okay.
People Safe
It's harmless to people, kids included. You're not going to eat it, of course, but a stray taste isn't going to hurt anyone.
No special handling precautions are needed, though as with any plant, ingestion of large amounts may cause mild stomach upset.
Varieties
Past the usual pink form, there are a few named picks worth hunting down for their color or their extra oomph. These are the ones you'll bump into most.
'Alba'
This one skips the usual magenta-pink and gives you pure white flowers instead.
var. albostriata
Its leaves come edged and striped in creamy white, so it still looks good even when it isn't flowering.
'Big Bob'
This one's a real go-getter, growing taller and stockier with flowers that are noticeably bigger.
How to propagate
Making more ground orchids couldn't be simpler, and you won't need seed or any fancy skills. A grown-up clump will hand you new plants every spring, either by splitting it up or lifting off its offset corms.
DivisionEasy
Early spring before or as new growth emerges · One growing season
Want more of them? Division is the easy route, and early spring is the time, right as those new shoots are starting to break ground. Dig up the whole clump and pull it apart so each piece keeps at least one healthy pseudobulb with a live growth eye, then get them back in the soil straight away. Give each division a growing season and it'll settle right in.
Bulbs & cormsEasy
Early spring · One growing season
You can also stretch a planting further by using the offset corms. Come early spring, just snap those offset pseudobulbs off the parent clump and pop them back at the same depth they were sitting. Give them a growing season and they'll grow into new clumps all their own.
Myths
Every orchid is a fussy tropical that has to live indoors.
Loads of orchids are tender, sure, but this isn't one of them. It's a hardy garden species that grows right outside in the soil. It shrugs off winters down to about USDA zone 5, dying back to the ground in fall and popping up fresh again come spring.
Orchids are parasites that feed off trees and hurt them.
Not this kind. A ground orchid roots down in the soil and makes all its own food through its leaves. It doesn't take a thing from other plants, and it grows from pseudobulb-like corms sitting just under the surface.