Orchid, Bletilla Murasaki Shikibu 'Alba', Ground Orchid, Striped Bletilla

Bletilla striata grows very well in the sandy areas of southern New Jersey especially when mulched with the leaves of deciduous trees eac...Read Moreh year. Leaves are helpful in maintaining good moisture in the summer, and protection from cold in the winter.

Be especially careful with the alba form which burns much more easily in the afternoon sun.

A pleasant little white orchid for the outdoors. The blooms are cattleya-like, fairly cupped, and quite small--maybe 1-1/2 to 2 inches ac...Read Moreross. Several are borne on stems that reach ca. 24 inches.

I grow mine in what's probably a slightly dry and overbright (full sun after mid-morning) location than they'd ideally like, but they bloom reliably each spring and have multiplied into a clump about 3 feet across. The plants share space with paperwhite narcissus. When the bletillas start to leaf up, I chop back the narcissus. When the narcissus start to show themselves, I chop back the bletillas. The plants would porbably prefer to ripen the foliage fully, but both plants keep coming back and bloom reliably.

I'm adding a photo of a mature clump of Bletilla striata alba to the plant files. It was taken at the nearby Norfolk Botanical Gardens w...Read Morehere there were several nice clumps in the shade garden with the hostas. Very nice. I have a couple of stems just getting started in my own garden. The pinks have bloomed this year already, but not the white ones yet.

This white flowering variety of B. striata has returned and bloomed in my garden for about 3 years now. It is slow to multiply, but one ...Read Moreor two new plants have emerged around the original single pseudobulb.

I have it planted in my ginger patch, so it is watered almost daily. Our sandy soil in NE Florida probably helps keep the B. striata 'alba' plants drained of excess moisture.

Jeremy