Spiranthes cernua var. odorata 'Chadd's Ford'
The RHS Orchid Committee, more usually focused on Cattleya and Phalaenopsis, and other orchids for the house and greenhouse, recently ratified the award of an Award of Garden Merit to a hardy orchid for the garden, Spiranthes cernua var. odorata 'Chadd's Ford'.
Reaching about 60cm (2ft) high, this moisture loving orchid has dark, evergreen rather grassy foliage. The elegant spikes of small white flowers, up to 50 on each stem, are arranged in a series of attractive slender spirals and the flowers are sweetly scented of vanilla and jasmine. They open from August until the first hard frosts and last an unusually long time.
The wild form grows in ditches, along stream sides and in other wet places in the eastern United States where it’s known as Autumn Lady’s tresses. In the garden grow ‘Chadd’s Ford’ in rich garden soil in sun or partial shade, this is a surprisingly tolerant plant as long as it never gets too dry. Allow space for plants to develop into clumps, they are unlikely to develop well if the plant is too crowded.
‘Chadd’s Ford’ is taller and more vigorous than the wild form, with larger flowers that are more strongly scented. It was found in a ditch in the state of Delaware in the 1960s, but gets its name from the home town of the grower who first won an award for showing this variety back in 1973.