Is this an Orchid?
By Stu
Cleveland, United Kingdom
This is a plant my wife bought years ago and was told it was an orchid. It has never flowered! Can anyone identify it please?
- 23 Jun, 2020
Answers
Hi, many thanks for your reply. I would guess it's at least 10 years old. I will mulch it and feed it, something I have never done! We were told at the time it was a rare plant!
24 Jun, 2020
My wife now tells me it did flower once, the flower was quite insignificant and she thinks it was white!!
25 Jun, 2020
It could be. At least 90% of wild orchid flowers are spikes of little white things of no interest to anyone except bees and wild orchid enthusiasts. Intricate structure close up, but not the impact of a rose bush or gladiolus. Worth preserving, like any other species, though: there's no need to go popping any more rivets in "Spaceship Earth"!
25 Jun, 2020
Leaves look about right for a young Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium), though a few other wild terrestrial orchids have similar foliage. Most such orchids need several years to build up enough energy to bloom, so if it is less than 4 years old, I wouldn't worry too much. I would leave an open circle at least 50 cm wide, with no competing taller plants, to allow it to gather solar power. Also, I would replace the stones with several cm of good compost as mulch, and probably also use a mild organic fertilizer while it is in leaf. Those alterations will help it to mature faster.
24 Jun, 2020