"the Washington Native Orchid Society... 41 types of orchids that grow both east and west of the Cascade Mountains. ... Tina Taylor... With her daughter, Melissa Rathbun... helped found the Washington Native Orchid Society. ... Taylor, Rathbun and other members of the society have helped catalog many of... state's native orchids on the group's Web site.
The group emphasizes conservation and caution... many... are in danger of extinction, due to either over-harvesting or loss of habitat... "The calypso orchid, or fairy slipper... if you dig this plant up and move it to your backyard... it will probably die... picking a wild orchid deprives the plant of a chance to produce seeds and reproduce. Taylor urges anyone who finds a native orchid to "leave it alone." "Take a picture, and try not to walk too close," she adds. While you can buy calypso orchids on the Internet, Taylor says they're not for beginners. The large yellow lady slipper, on the other hand, is a native Washington orchid that is cultivated commercially and is a good choice for gardeners who want to try growing native orchids outdoors, says Taylor. If you find the orchid growing wild, it would probably be at the edge of a woodland, perhaps in a marshy area or streamside. "If you have a woodland garden, and you can grow trillium, ferns and Solomon seal, that would be a good place to try orchids," says Taylor. Don't try it in bright sunlight or a rock garden; those environments are much too hot. "You need to buy it from someone reputable," she adds. "Don't dig it out of the wild. There are not enough left." " URL : http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/278785.html ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
