Orchid Spiranthes Cernua Bog Orchid Outdoors

Spiranthes cernua, or Nodding Ladies Tresses, is a herbaceous, perennial wildflower in the orchid family, often found in swamps, meadows, wet roadsides and bogs. It is native to the Eastern United States and features small, often fragrant, hooded, white flowers densely arranged in vertical, slightly spiral-like rows on spikes typically growing 9 to 18 inches tall. The blooms appear in late summer to fall, often to first frost. The spiraling flower arrangement is the result of uneven cell growth, which results in a twisting of the flower stems. It is synonymous with and often listed and sold as Spiranthes cerna var. odorata, although the S. odorata has slightly larger flowers. They thrive in full sun to partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. You can plant them in a pot with clay, loam, and slightly acidic soil and place them in an area where they can get enough sunlight to thrive. Also can grow them in a bod style pot. Nodding Ladies’ Tresses is easy to grow and easy to care for once established. When watering them, use distilled, reverse osmosis or rainwater. I use the tray method and grow them with sarracenias outdoors. You can fertilizing them once a month, during their growing season, or use slow release fertilizer, this will help them bloom. You can grow them in outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zone 5a-9b.You will rarely find them for sale, every winter I have a few from my collection for sale. Once they are gone you will have to wait until next year. Your purchase will get you at least one(1) division and will ship bare root. It will need to be planted upon arrival. You can get your own substrate or purchase the one I have in my store under “Bog Substrate mix for Sarracenia, Pinguicula and others”