Grass Pink Orchid White
Ease to Grow: Easy
Dormancy: Recommended
Native Range: Peat Bogs of Eastern and Central North America.
Zones: 4-8 (3-10)
The White Grass Pink, Calopogon tuberosa f. alba, is a very striking form of the typical Grass Pink. It produces one of the showiest of all our native orchids. The bright white blooms are 2" (4cm) across with multiple flowers (up to 6) on each spike. The petals are frosty white and the lip is tipped with bright yellowish orange bristles that attract insects. It is a summer bloomer. White Grass Pink is a bog plant which grows in open, acidic bogs with sphagnum moss, but is adaptable to drier, upland conditions, as long as the soil remains damp during flowering. It is winter hardy, and should be in well drained soil and protected from rodents during dormancy. Mulch with 4+" of pine needles in the Fall. Leave at least a 1" of needles after spring cleanup. The corms can be stored in damp sphagnum at 35°F (2°C) in a refrigerator for 3 or 4 months. Water with rain/distilled water, they are sensitive to mineral buildup. It spreads nicely and grows well with pitcher plants. It is an attention getter.
Curiously, flowers are upside down and have a moving lip, that can be tripped, and dab pollen on an insects.
Our plants are not collected from the wild, and are propagated from root divisions of plants in our collection.
For Grass Pinks size refers to age of plants. Young (1-2 years, bulbs between 1/4"-1/2"), Mature (3-4+ years, bulbs < 1/2"). Dormant bulb shipped when possible.
Plants/bulbs are shipped bare-root, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. In it's dormant season, it will be shipped as a dormant bulb. Photographs are representative of species, and not the specific plant shipped.
Height: 8" - 16"
Plant Type: Perennial, cold temperate
Soil: Bog Orchid Mix
Soil pH: 4-6
Light: Full to Partial Sun
Use: Grows best outdoors in the bog garden or pots.
