Dactylorhiza fuchsii

[admin]

Anyone grow these or any of the other Scottish  native orchids? Have seen vast stands of these on the western Scottish hills in June (and I mean VAST - 10's if not 100's of 1000's), the white forms being especially attractive. Some are very miniature and was wondering if they stayed that way once sheltered from the Scottish gales. If they could be kept compact a pan of the white form would be a great show plant

[Anthony Darby]

Dactylorhiza fuchsii has turned up in my garden and is now seeding in various pots. D. purpurella grows like a weed in the front lawn of a house along the street from me, only because the owner mows round them. It also grows on the bank opposite Lecropt church between Dunblane and Bridge of Allan by the thousand. This winter there are plans to remove the encroaching scrub (hawthorn etc).

[Bjarne]

Hi
Here are a picture of another white Dactylorhiza. It is Dactylorhiza maculata from southwest Norway.

[KentGardener]

Hi All

I love these plants - unfortunately I don't have any new pictures that I have not already posted on the old forum.  Will try and take lots of pics when they flower in 2007.  I too find them seeding in pots - but not so much in the garden in general - I wonder why that is?.....

John

[admin]

John, your pots likely have some fungul  or bacterial organism  the seeds need to germinate and grow on initially. I believe a lot of orchids require this.

[Bjarne]

Elder-flowered Orchid, Dactylorhiza_sambucina from Telemark, Norway. In Norway only the yellow form exist.
   

[KentGardener]

Bjarne, that yellow flowered form really is beautiful.  Is it completely hardy?

If you want to do any swaps with my pink / purple forms in 2007 please let me know.

cheers

John

[David Shaw]

A few years ago I had occaision to (legally) rescue some ?Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella from the proposed extension of a working quarry. They were growing through limestone cobbles but, beneath, the roots were in running water. I distributed some and put others in the garden in what qualifies as the wetter parts of a dry garden in a relativly dry area of Scotland. Most of them survived and then a couple of years ago was delighted to find that they had started to self seed around. More wonderful 'weeds' to appreciate.

My other Scottish special is a Gymnadenia sp.(Fragrent Orchid) liberated from what later became an RSPB reserve in Strathspey. They have done well in the open garden. No, I know better than to nick plants from the wild like that now even though the meadow was full of them .

[Bjarne]

Bjarne, that yellow flowered form really is beautiful.  Is it completely hardy?

If you want to do any swaps with my pink / purple forms in 2007 please let me know.

Yes it is beautiful. I have no Dactylorhiza sambucina in my garden, so I can not swap, sorry  I found the plant in a slope. I think it was hundred of them.