Hardy Orchid Plants for the Woodland Garden (Bletilla, Calanthe, Spiranthes)

Hardy Orchid Plants for the Woodland Garden (Bletilla, Calanthe, Spiranthes)

By Published May 14, 2017 Updated June 14, 2022

Welcome to Plant Delights Nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens. We are a private research and display botanic garden located near Raleigh, North Carolina (USDA Hardiness Zone 7b). Our retail mail order division allows us to make the best perennials from our trials available to gardeners around the world, some of which were developed here, some from our plant explorations, and others from breeders around the world. Between 1988 and 2010, Plant Delights Nursery introduced over 500 new perennial plants to US horticulture. In 2002, we were honored to be recognized by the American Horticulture Society for our lifetime of work in commercial horticulture. This image gallery is but a sampling of the great perennial plants available for gardeners around the world. We do not carry all plants pictured at any one time, but since our mission is to educate and inspire, we hope these images and the linked articles below will expand your garden horizons and interest. You will find an array of other interesting information and fascinating perennials throughout our website...thank you for taking time to visit.

Orchid lovers do not have to be confined to a greenhouse -- there are several hardy orchid varieties that can be grown outside in temperate zones. When looking for a hardy orchid, there is no need to be intimidated. Hardy orchids range in difficulty to grow, so anyone from the gardening novice to the master gardener can experiment with them.

Of the hardy orchids for sale, bletilla and calanthe are both fairly easy to grow. Bletilla are hardy orchids that prefer well drained, moist soils. Bletilla flowers well in part sun, and they usually bloom in the spring and summer. Calanthe are hardy orchids that prefer light shade, but they will also tolerate darker, dry shade. Calanthe have multiple, small flowers that are often fragrant. Several species of calanthe also have evergreen foliage.

Cypripedium (also known as lady slipper) hardy orchids are more particular than bletilla or calanthe. Roots of cypripedium are shallow in the ground, and it is best to cover them with a well-prepared mulched surface with good drainage. It should be kept in mind when looking for these hardy orchids for sale that they come from a nursery that propagates cypripedium instead of digging them in the wild. This helps protect them from being overharvested, and a nursery propagated lady slipper has a greater degree of survivability than a wild one.
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