Bletilla striata Shi-ran - Hyacinth orchid

The Bletilla striata 'Shi-Ran' is a beautiful, hardy garden orchid that can be planted in the ground. Its tall, dark pink upright flowers in late spring, rising above long pleated leaves, bring lightness and exoticism to partially shaded borders in a cool, well-drained, humus-bearing soil. It also looks stunning in a pot or at the edge of a pond.

The Bletilla belong to the Orchidaceae family, which comprises over 25,000 species distributed worldwide - making it one of the largest botanical families today. While we are more accustomed to seeing orchids growing on bark in warm greenhouses and conservatories, many garden and hardy species exist. The Bletilla orchids, native to evergreen high-altitude forests in China, produce lanceolate light green leaves that are pleated, slightly arching, with prominent veins, measuring 35 cm long and 5 cm wide. Between May and June, slender stems emerge, bearing several large flowers. They are typical of the family, with a large central petal modified into a "tunnel" known as the labellum. It spreads slowly through short rhizomes, eventually forming a more or less sparse clump depending on the soil's richness.

The 'Shi-Ran' variety features numerous flowers, darker pink than the wild type, with undulate labellum. Moreover, they are often inclined upwards, unlike other varieties. Vigorous, this plant will reach approximately 50 cm in height and width under good conditions.

Robust, the Bletilla striata 'Shi-Ran' is hardy down to at least -15°C, but it has a few requirements for proper growth: it first requires a perfectly drained soil: if water does not drain well during winter, the rhizomes can rot. It particularly appreciates woodland conditions, meaning a cool, lightly shaded or dappled sun, rich and humus-bearing, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. Full sun is detrimental to it as it damages the foliage. The plant completely disappears during winter and emerges quite late, so mark its location to avoid an unfortunate spade blow! It is advisable to mulch the stump in colder regions to protect it.

You can create an exotic-looking border by combining it with other perennials such as Asian Epimediums (Epimedium davidii, E. 'Amber Queen', E. 'Domino'...), Arisaema, Saruma henryi, ferns like Dryopteris sieboldii or Athyrium 'Pewter Lace', all at the base of trees like Acer griseum, Magnolia delavayi or Aralia elata 'Silver Umbrella'. You can plant it in a pot and at the pond's edge if the drainage is sufficient.