Garden Orchid Duo - Formosan Pleiones

We offer you a duo of garden orchids bringing together two varieties of Formosan pleiones, the Pleione formosana species with bicolour flowers and its 'Alba' form with white flowers. You will enjoy the remarkable flowers of these Formosan Orchids in April or May for about ten days. A little sensitive to cold, these delicate little plants deserve the gardener's full attention. They thrive in sheltered gardens, in partial shade, in well-drained substrate, kept moist from spring until September, and drier in winter. Growing them in pots allows them to be sheltered in a cold greenhouse in winter.

This duo consists of:

- x 1 Pleione formosana: the species with 6 cm flowers, pink-lilac, with a trumpet-shaped lip, white speckled with brown, and fringed pink edges.

- x 1 Pleione formosana 'Alba': a rare white form in cultivation. Solitary 6 cm flowers, white with a trumpet-shaped lip, white speckled with very light yellow, and fringed edges.

Small gems for garden orchid enthusiasts, Formosan Pleiones are quite easy to grow under favourable conditions (humus-bearing and moist soil, mild and dry winters, humid and temperate summers). As such, they are reserved for experienced gardeners. Once the flowers have faded, the leaves develop and disappear in autumn. The bulb that has flowered will wither while several bulblets develop around it. They will be able to bloom the following spring.

Formosan pleiones are planted in early spring, in a small cool rockery, in the understory, or wider than tall pots and planters. An orchid substrate is ideal, provided it is kept moist throughout the growth and flowering period. You can also plant them in a pocket of light and porous potting soil and cover them with wood chips. Mulch in winter with dead leaves or cover with a bell jar to protect the stumps from moisture. In a woodland setting, they can be planted in small groups among other garden orchids such as Bletillas, trilliums, and small ferns.