Flowering Season

Common Spotted Orchid, no longer quite so common

Southern Marsh Orchid

Now we are mid way through the year it is delightful to find so many of our orchids growing vigorously and in flower. It is also the time to think about which species you want in your garden or meadow. In a garden with a pond there may be a boggy patch, the overflow area for example, which is ideally suited to Marsh Marigolds and Marsh Orchids. Interestingly Southern Marsh Orchids do not need to be sitting in water, but they can and Common Spotted Orchids will also tolerate a surprising level of dampness. If you decide it is worth growing Southern Marsh Orchids you could always do what a friend of mine has done and that is to sink an entire plastic dustbin in a flower bed with a few slits about 30cm or so below ground level. What this does is ensures that the ground never dries out and the orchids thrive. It should not need a whole dustbin as that requires a very deep hole to be dug, you could probably achieve the same affect with a big bucket. 

I have picked on Common Spotted and Marsh Orchids because if you grow them in close proximity you may well find that natural hybridisation takes place. The resulting  plants can have truly spectacular flowers, some with the lovely spotted leaves of the Common Spotted Orchid. Very often the colour of the hybrid owes more to the Southern Marsh Orchid than the other parent, so the result really is lovely.

Anyway, now is the time to get you plants into the ground, or pots if you intent to grow them as show plants so that next year they are well established and produce the flowers you want.