Description

Common Spotted Orchid

The Common Spotted Orchid, a well known beautiful British orchid growing to around 50cms high with stunning three-lobed flower spikes.

The leaves are green with little purplish to black spots. The three-lobed flowers range from white through to light pink to a purplish colour, however they have distinctive deep pink to purple stripes and spots on each flower lobe.

The orchid makes a stunning addition to any garden.

Ideal to plant in tubs or planters for a beautiful patio display. If grown in tubs or planters, we suggest a deep tub or planter because the roots develop to fairly long proportions and will also penetrate deep into the soil.

• Bee friendly flowers.
• British native plant.
• Easy to care for.
• Hardy perennial.

The Common Spotted Orchid usually flowers from late May to August, depending on where you live and the local climate. The orchid will tolerate many soil types, for example: heavy soils, sandy soils and moderately marshy soil.

Because it is a native British flower which is bee friendly, we wholeheartedly recommend at least one Common spotted orchid should be included in your planting list.

After flowering the orchid will die back, this is perfectly normal. However, it will lay dormant until spring, when you will start to notice the new growth appearing.

Only available to buy from May to October as live plants.

Please note: The last image, shows a 5-year-old plant in full bloom, as you can see, it is planted amongst Primulas and wildflowers.

2022 and 2023 was an awful year for germinating these plants due to climate change affecting the weather.

Plant care

When the plants arrive, carefully unpack, leave in the pots and place to one side (a sheltered area is best) to let them acclimatise to your area for about 3–5 days. The plants may need a little water after their ordeal in a box, travelling the width and breath of the UK.

Prepare an area you wish to plant the orchids and mix a little compost into the soil prior to planting. Because the orchids are young plants, their root systems are still fragile, so take care when planting. Ensure while planting you include with the compost from the pot, because, this compost contains the important fungus.

Common Spotted Orchid Seeds.

They are very fine and almost invisible seeds in their pods. We do not recommend trying to grow them from seed, because the process of getting them to germinate is complex. However, if you wish to have a go at germinating them. We advise reading the information below.

A question, often asked, is why is it hard or near impossible to get my orchid seeds to germinate.

The seeds have a very low germination rate, because, according to Yeh, Chuan-Ming & Chung, Kwimi & Liang, Chieh Kai & Tsai, Wen-Chieh (2019) “Orchid seeds lack endosperms and contain very limited storage reserves. Therefore, the symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi that form endomycorrhizas is essential for orchid seed germination and protocorm development under natural conditions.”
Therefore, unless you are experienced in using mycorrhizal fungus to help with the germination process, it is not advisable to buy the seeds from any source. Also, this is why we do not sell the seeds.

Note: Remember, it is illegal to tamper with certain wild plants, such as collecting seeds or digging up the plants.

Reference

Yeh, Chuan-Ming & Chung, Kwimi & Liang, Chieh Kai & Tsai, Wen-Chieh. (2019). New Insights into the Symbiotic Relationship between Orchids and Fungi. Applied Sciences. 9. 585. 10.3390/app9030585.