58 
Edward Gillett , Southwick , Mass.—Hardy Orchids 
Hardy Orchids 
The Orchids of New England, for the most part, are shade-loving plants, and delight 
in a soil well drained and’largely"composed_of leaf-mold. While"the common border plants 
are not particular as to soil they like the open sun and are exposed to the drying winds; 
but these little Orchids require altogether a different treatment, both in soil and position. 
We find them in the wild, usually in a soil composed largely of leaf-mold; the trees and rocks, 
the unevenness of the ground, low shrubs and ferns, all help to keep the air and soil cool and 
Cypripedium acaule (see page 59) 
moist, and with but little circulation of the air. We add some bog-moss to the leaf-mold in 
making the bed for the smaller Orchids, raising the bed several inches to insure good drain¬ 
age. Here Aplectrum, Goodyeras, Liparis, Orchis spectabilis , Habenaria bracteata , II. 
Hookeri and Cypripedium acaule will thrive. A few of our native Orchids are really bog 
plants and require more moisture, like Calopogon, Habenaria blephariglottis, II. dilatata, H. 
hyperborea , Cypripedium spectabile and Pogonia ophioglossoides. Select a wet place where 
the surface is constantly saturated with water, building up a bed a little, and on top cover 
with moss 4 to 6 inches deep. Plant these Orchids in clean sphagnum. In this way we have 
had excellent success in growing them in shade. 
