Yes these zone are confusing to me as well. My original plants came in the form of two dormant corms(if you want to call it that). I did not hold out much hope for them surviving given the pathetic start. That was twelve years ago. Here is a link to a picture of the original colony of striata I took last spring. I have included a link to another orchid I grow by the bushel see if you can guess the species.
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/gockgardenmay252010/websize/Picture%20004 .jpg http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/gockgardenmay252010/websize/Picture%20006 .jpg Jim Hatchett Eagle Idaho zone 5? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim McKenney Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 9:40 AM To: 'Alpine-L, the Electronic Rock Garden Society; postings copyright by authors.' Subject: Re: [Alpine-l] Orchids in winter It's intriguing that you are growing these in zone 5 Idaho. The popular literature of a half century ago seemed to be uncertain about the hardiness of Beltilla striata - one old source suggests that it is hardy in Louisiana but not much further north. When I was in my teens I tried Bletilla striata in the garden but it did not survive the winter here in zone 7. In retrospect, I suspect that those plants died because they were in a poorly drained place. It's now a relatively common garden plant in this area. The hardy begonia, Begonia grandis (evansiana) was treated the same way - it's now regarded as a benign weed in this area. Bletilla ochracea has a reputation for being less hardy, so I'll be interested to hear how your plants do in the long run. I'm playing it safe with my plants now and keep them in a cold frame for the winter. When the clump bulks up, I'll try some of it in the open garden. Jim McKenney
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