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Herbaceous Perennial

Bletilla striata 'Albostriata'

A deciduous, terrestrial orchid with sword-shaped, pleated green leaves to 30cm long edged with white. From late spring to early summer, racemes of 3-7 pinkish-purple flowers are borne on stems to 50cm tall

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Orchidaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Bletilla are deciduous terrestrial perennial orchids with tuber-like pseudobulbs, ribbed, linear to lance-shaped leaves, and erect racemes of bell-shaped flowers
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Under glass, grow in peat-free, loam-based potting compost with added leaf mould, in bright filtered or bright indirect light. In summer water freely, applying a quarter strength balanced liquid fertiliser at every third watering. Keep dry in winter

Propagation

Propagate by division in early spring and replant immediately

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Patio and container plants
Cottage and informal garden
City and courtyard gardens
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, aphids, glasshouse whitefly and mealybugs

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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