July 11, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
59& 
Hardy Species of Orchis. 
Something like eighty specie® of Orchis are known to- science, 
a number of which are native® of Britain, and others in 
various parts of the world, generally in cool climates. They 
give the name to the whole of the family Orchideae, as being 
the best-known typical instance of the family.. Skilful cul¬ 
tivators can manage to cultivate most of our native species, 
if not all of them, in, the open, ground by using suitable com¬ 
posts and selecting suitable situations. Those coming from 
cool countries may also be cultivated in the same way, but, as 
a, rule, even those which come from the south of Europe re¬ 
quire a cool greenhouse', hardy frame, or some such protection, 
unless the cultivator has actually an alpine house for hardy 
plants. 
One of the chief reasons for this 1 is because the plants make 
their growth and flower too early in the season for our climate. 
There is also the question of microbe® in the soil proper to 
each kind, and which may explain the failure experienced by 
many in their attempts to grow Orchids, both hardy and 
half hardy. Another obvious reason for failure is that these 
would-be cultivators never think of cultivating these plants 
until they find them bloom in their native habitats:, when they 
take them up with unsuitable tools, breaking and smashing 
the root® and mutilating the stems and leaves. These plants 
dug up in full bloom they stick into some portion of the garden 
and then wonder why the plants will not grow. 
A better plan would be for those who live in a neighbour¬ 
hood where the plants grow wild to mark their station and 
transplant them when at rest or just when pushing their crowns 
through the soil. Where the species is- very scarce we should 
dissuade cultivators from digging them up at all. Many of 
the species are introduced to this country from time to time, 
and they are not expensive to 1 buy from those who' make it ai 
speciality to grow these things. Several of them are very 
handsome and a great ornament to the garden, and, under 
suitable conditions, they even increase in strength from year 
to year. 
In the case of several which we shall mention, moisture is 
one of the more important items: to secure, and this may be 
aided by the use of a peaty soil, or by making a station, for 
the plants, consisting chiefly of peat, which holds the moisture 
better’ than where the soil consists of the ordinary garden 
loam. We are aware that in the north it is more easy to 
cultivate these hardy Orchids than in. the south, because 
moisture is mostly always present, so that the tubers' can be 
planted in the ordinary herbaceous border with fairly satis¬ 
factory results. 
Orchis latifolia. 
This species is fairly well distributed over' the British Isles, 
but also' occurs on the Continent, in North Africa, the Orient, 
and Himalayan Regions. Those which occur on the islands 
off the coast of Africa and on the mainland of that continent 
are usually much larger and finer plants than the British 
representatives of the species. These African types grow from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, making magnificent specimens, which 
constitute an uncommon feature in most gardens. There is 
no reason, however, why this species, including many forms 
of it, might not be grown in every garden where hardy her¬ 
baceous plants, are cherished. The lower leaves of this fine 
plant are ovate and the upper ones gradually become narrower, 
merging into a lanceolate form. These, again, are succeeded 
by the bracts supporting the individual flower’s of the spike. 
Even in our native species the leaves may be handsomely 
spotted with blackish-purple, but in the African forms the 
beauty and size of these blotches are, as a. rule, greatly 
accentuated. The flowers are rich purple and dotted with 
carker purple on a lighter area, forming the centre or disc 
0 the lip. Sometimes many of these spots on the flowers- 
consist of dark lines enclosing a pale spot, when we should 
t scribe the markings as oculated. Our illustration shows a 
fine' clump of five plants of this large form growing in the bog- 
bed in the rockery at Kew. Here the soil consists chiefly of 
peat, and a small stream meanders through the bed. These 
plants, as well as many others in the garden, may be regarded 
as thoroughly established, for they come: up year after year as 
fine as ever. 
0. incarnata. 
There have been frequent discussions amongst botanists and 
differences of opinion expressed what plant Linnaeus really 
meant when he described the species under the above name. 
There can be little doubt that it is closely allied to 0. latifolia, 
from which it differs- in several particulars of minor importance. 
Orchis latifolia. 
A specimen of it flowers annually at Kew in the vicinity of 0. 
latifolia, which will give those an opportunity of inspecting it 
in cases where it- is difficult to procure wild specimens. The 
leaves of the plant in question are of a- light green, and entirely 
without spots. The flowers are of a. pale flesh colour, with a 
heart-shaped reddish-purple line on the disc, and which it 
surrounds, enclosing many small spots of the same colour. 
0. foliosa. 
Those who- like the larger types of hardy Orchis should not 
omit- 0. foliosa from their collection. The specific name refers 
to the leafy character of the stems. They may be slightly 
more numerous' than in the case of the species we have just 
mentioned, but they are shorter, broader, and of a beautiful 
green colour, which gives the stems a nicely furnished appear¬ 
ance. The flowers are as large as those of the larger and finer 
