Guide to growing Orchid Bletilla
Bletilla is a half hardy perennial, and is commonly referred to as the orchid.
Though there are many types of orchid Bletilla flowers in the early spring with white or purple flowers.
The stem of the orchid is typically 30 to 50cm in height, and the orchid has leaves that are lance shaped.
They are beautiful plants and should be grown where they can be seen, such as by shaded paths or even in barrels.
How to grow Orchids (Bletilla)
Orchids can be grown from either seed or root stocks, if growing orchids outdoors then sees should be sown in the surface from early spring on to the middle of summer. Root stocks should be buried just below the surface in late winter to early spring. It is not very easy to grow Bletilla from seeds indoors, but certainly possible. Germination may take up to a whole year, but as little as a month. Orchid seeds should be placed on damp blotting paper in a dish. The dish should then be covered with cling-film. Once seeds germinate they should be transferred to pots with moist soil and kept in light at about 20 degrees Celsius.
Orchids can then be transplanted outside after the last frost of spring. They should be transplanted at a distance of 20 to 25 cm in well drained peat rich soil in a shaded area of the garden.
Care of orchids in the garden
Orchids will require regular fertilizing and watering. More Bletilla orchids can be made by dividing large clumps of plants after they have flowered. Plants should then be cut back to the ground following flowering. The care of orchids is not the easiest of things.