By David Bare
Media General News service
Published: May 7, 2008

May is the month that the Chinese ground orchid blooms. Like those of many orchids, its blooms are brilliantly colorful and fascinating. But unlike many orchids it is easy and prolific. It is a simple plant to grow in semi-shade in the garden where it will gradually form into great masses, and each pair of pleated leaves will surround a slender stalk topped by a group of rose purple flowers.

I’m using the phrase “rose purple” with a little reluctance, because it does nothing to illustrate the intensity of this color. I have many books on orchids and they describe the color as amethyst purple, rose purple or magenta purple. There is in fact a lot of variation in the color, but I think that the diversity of color descriptions has as much to do with the failure of the language to describe the color as it does variation from plant to plant. Somehow, orchids manage to get away with these colors where any other flower couldn’t wear them quite as well.

Bletilla striata or ground orchid looks a lot like what you expect an orchid to look like. It has the classic form of the prom dress corsage orchid, the cattleya, but it is much reduced. It is a five-point star reaching up to 2 inches across and adorned with a prominent “lip” on its lower center. The lip is usually a darker color and highlighted by a series of complicated ridges, often outlined in white. It gives the impression of being pleated or delicately folded as some intricate origami.

There is also a yellow species Bletilla ochracea that is not as easily found as the common Chinese ground orchid. The pure white variety ‘Alba’ is pristine, whereas variety ‘Albostriata’ has a strip of light variegation to the edge of the leaf. The beautiful variety ‘Rosea’ has palest shell-pink petals and a pale rose lip.

Bletilla is possessed of a poise and perfect proportionate balance that gives it an Oriental quality and, in fact, it hails from China, Japan and Tibet, where it has been treasured for centuries. It was one of the orchids illustrated in the first known book dedicated to orchids produced in Japan in 1728. Bletilla goes back much further than that though, being mentioned by the Chinese Emperor in 280 BC.

The name Bletilla is a derivative of Bletia, another orchid that Bletilla strongly resembles in some cases. The name honors the 18th-century Spanish apothecary and botanist Luis Blet.

These little orchids spring from underground pseudobulbs, a structure that many tropical orchids carry above ground. In a well-established patch of ground orchids, the pseudobulbs will all be linked together in a long chain. They are fascinating to see, white and patterned with a series of off-centered concentric circles all bound together in an undulating braid.

Individually these pseudo-bulbs look much like a corm or bulb such as a tulip, daffodil or crocus, and bulb retailers are the most practical place to find them. They should ideally be planted in rich, moist, well-drained soil in a position that receives protection from sun during the hottest part of the day. If you do not have ideal conditions though, don’t hesitate to try the Chinese ground orchid anyway. These are tough creatures that are the exception to the rule from most hardy orchids, which are notoriously finicky about their conditions. Just make sure that no water will stand where they are planted.

Bletillas can be planted in pots, which should be 8 to 10 inches wide and filled with a soil mixture that is both porous and retains some moisture. Finely ground bark, peat or sphagnum moss with some leaf mould and soil can accomplish this. They must have a period of cold dormancy to flower well.

Fertilizing regularly will help increase your stock. Use an organic slow-release fertilizer or composted cow manure to give them a boost. No harm will come from plucking a few flowers to enjoy in a vase. They come away with long graceful stems with a light tug at the base, no cutting required. These orchids can last a month in a vase.

Easy, satisfying and exotic are not words we often use together, but in the orchid kingdom Bletillas are the exception to the rule.

-- If you have a gardening question or story idea, write to David Bare in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-3159, or send e-mail to his attention to gardening.

@wsjournal.com.