Surprise volunteer

[ChrisB]

Look what turned up in my garden this spring, nearly pulled it up as a weed but on close inspection decided it looked like an orchid. Pearl identified it for me as common twayblade, Neottia ovata

[ian mcdonald]

Good addition Chris. They are just starting to flower on our local site.

[ChrisB]

I found it whilst hand weeding hands and knees and put the brick there so I wouldn’t step on it as it is in my work area.  Good job I did. Was sure it was a weed at first ...

[majallison]

I think I read somewhere that twayblades take about 14 years to reach flowering from seed!

[ChrisB]

Wow, it’s a wonder it ever surfaced then, I shall attempt to keep it safe!

[jomowi]

Chris, I too have been on the receiving end of an orchid 'freebe'.  I bought a plant of Androsace mucronifolia x sempervirens from Aberconwy in 2015, and it came with a 'stowaway' which I recognised as an orchid seedling.  Last year it was going to flower for the first time, but the flower aborted despite regular watering in the very hot summer.  This year it has put up 2 flowers which are just coming out.  It is having an argument with the Salix boydii and is in too sunny a place.  I would like to move it when it is dormant, but am afraid it will be tangled up with the Salix roots. I am fairly sure it is Dactylorhiza purpurella, the Northen Marsh Orchid. Maureen

[Neil]

I think I read somewhere that twayblades take about 14 years to reach flowering from seed!

No, I have them flowering 5 years after germination, although they are a long-lived orchid.

[ChrisB]

Yesterday I was pulling up a thistle in the front garden that had somehow escaped my notice and attached to it was another orchid seedling, from the leaf it looks about the same as the flowering one above.  Are they inclined to be parasitic I wonder?  It’s miles away from where the other one is in the back garden. I’ve potted it up now and binned the thistle of course, but it did surprise me.  Only one strappy leaf this time, but certainly is an orchid and not the usual dactylorhiza.

Hi Maureen, you were very lucky Tim hadn’t noticed your orchid when he potted up the androsace, he’s got a good eagle eye!  Lucky you ...