A native Alaska terrestrial orchid that pushes its leafy spike out of the ground the first week of June and begins blooming mid-June. They are happiest in dappled shade, a little on the sunnier side. They are usually found on the edges of woodlands and in small clearings and are a breathtaking site, each flower with its own unique personality. They are happy in garden soil, slightly acidic, not to wet or too dry. These terrestrial orchids spread by underground rhizomes relatively quickly, and form a very showy coterie.
These orchids will not perform well in hot or dry conditions. They naturally range in colder temperate areas and need a cool root zone. They need several months of near-freezing or freezing temperatures every winter to die back and go dormant. Without this period of cold they will not leaf out properly in the spring and bloom.
I am sending a nicely rooted plant, a side shoot of a mature orchid. I make sure there is an active growing tip on every plant. The orchids may already be blooming or should bloom within a year or two after being transplanted. I have found spotted orchids easier to grow and much faster spreading and blooming then the other native lady slippers. I like to grow them with the smaller native violets, they don't out-compete the orchids and add color while the orchids start their spring resurrection.
When you order an orchid I gently dig one up, bareroot it, and wrap the whole plant wrapped in live sphagnum moss inside a ziplocked bag with a few ventilation holes, and send the 3-day priority mail. I have unwrapped plants after a week in sphagnum and found the growing and happy, they travel well this way. You often get a few bonus plants in the moss from my pond, read the Sphagnum Moss - Mixed product description for more information.
