• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Planting the Unexpected

June 1, 2008 By Carol Michel 14 Comments

Why has it taken me so long to plant an orchid in my garden?

This spring, I found Bletilla striata, a hardy orchid, at one of the local garden centers. Tucked away in a corner in black one-gallon plastic containers, these orchids just looked like some lily leaves with a small flower stalk.

But they drew my attention and I couldn’t put one in my cart fast enough, even though I didn’t know much about them, other than what was on the tag.

“Hardy orchid with shiny green foliage and hot pink flowers in summer. Prefers dappled shade.”

That’s enough info for me to buy an orchid!

Now that they are blooming, I think anyone who saw them, whether or not they were a gardener, would say, ‘Hey, is that an orchid?’
Indeed, it is an orchid! A very pretty little orchid. And since most people think of orchids as growing in the jungles and Florida and other warm places, it will be a nice surprise to see it growing outside in Indiana, just like it is a surprise to see prickly pear cactus blooming in my garden.

I was surprised by another unexpected flower in my garden this morning.

It’s unexpected because I have no idea what it is, if I planted it, if it is a weed, or if the garden fairies planted it, or just how it came to be in my front garden, of all places.

You would think with my constant posting and harping about keeping a garden journal or some kind of record of what gets planted in your garden, I wouldn’t find my self staring down at a flower in my own garden thinking, “Who or what are you?”

The foliage on this plant is odd, too. It’s sort of blue green and straplike.

I think this made an appearance last year, but at some point I must have cut it off. Perhaps it is a bulb I planted and forgot about? I just know I have no recollection of it. If anyone could help identify this plant, be it a weed or a cultivated flower, I’d be forever grateful.

What’s unexpected in your garden?

(By the way, back in her day, Elizabeth Lawrence spent quite a bit of time helping others identify flowers, but without the aid of the Internet or other garden bloggers. She knew and corresponded with gardeners across the country and would look to them, her own library and knowledge, and plant experts at local universities to help identify flowers she didn’t know the name of. And she kept meticulous notes on 3 x 5 cards, as I understand it, so I feel certain if she had planted this yellow flower in her garden she would have written it down and known what it was!)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: orchids, perennials

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rose says

    June 1, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I can’t believe you have a flower blooming that you can’t name, Carol:) I do hope someone can identify this; it’s certainly a striking blossom with interesting foliage. I’ll be interested in knowing if it stays upright like this after storms and winds.

    Reply
  2. beckie says

    June 1, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Carol, DIPT strikes again! It is a lovely flower though. The orchid is beautiful and should cause quite a few comments. Hope it is hardy to your area. We will all be wanting to know.

    Reply
  3. Daphne Gould says

    June 1, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    The first time I want to Bog Pond (near Savoy campground in western Massachusetts), I was so surprised to see beautiful orchids (Rose Pagonia). They bloom on the bogs in the middle of the pond on floating sphagnum moss mats. Just beautiful. Another fun treat were the pitcher plants and a good lesson in biology for the kids, who at the time were elementary aged.

    Reply
  4. Gail says

    June 1, 2008 at 10:50 pm

    There is something familiar about the foliage and flower….but other than that, I got nothing!

    The Orchid is lovely…another plant to the list!

    We all understand about the journal, it happens. You could try my plant tag in the cup system!

    Gail

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    June 2, 2008 at 1:38 am

    The yellow flower sure looks like Tragopogon dubius. It confusingly has the common name of goat’s beard but has nothing to do with Aruncus, also common name of goat’s beard. Tragopogon porrifolius is salsify, grown as a vegetable for its roots.

    Judy at BelleWood Gardens

    Reply
  6. Carol Michel says

    June 2, 2008 at 1:52 am

    Rose… believe it, I do have some plants in my garden that I don’t know the name of! This one withstood some pretty strong winds Friday night.

    Beckie… The orchid is supposed to be hardy to zone 5, which is what I am. Read further comments, I don’t think the yellow flower is a case of DIPT.

    Daphne… Those orchids do sound pretty.

    Gail… I saw your tags in a cup system. I’m looking to do something maybe a tad bit more organized to keep track of my plants.

    Judy… I think you are right, after looking at some of the pictures around the web. So it IS a weed and I didn’t forget about a plant I planted. I think I’ll go and pull it before it sets seed. Thank you!

    Thanks for the nice comments!
    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    Reply
  7. chuck b. says

    June 2, 2008 at 1:55 am

    That’s yellow salsify. While you can eat the long taproot, it’s not esp. tasty and if you let it go to seed you will have it EVERYWHERE.

    My strong advice: Consider it a noxious weed.

    Orchids are among the most widespread plant families, growing on every continent. Tho’ I find it hard to imagine them on Antarctica.

    Reply
  8. chuck b. says

    June 2, 2008 at 1:56 am

    Oops, our comments crossed. 🙂 We’re both reading your blog right now.

    Reply
  9. Carol Michel says

    June 2, 2008 at 1:57 am

    Chuck… That’s exactly what I’m going to do… pull that weed. Consider it done. And yes, orchids are the most widespread plant family which is why I wanted some in my garden, not just in my sunroom.

    Thanks for the plant ID.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    Reply
  10. Valarie says

    June 2, 2008 at 3:27 am

    I was so excited to see the picture of the yellow flower on your blog. I have these coming up all over my perennial bed AND lawn. I remember a few from last year that I left alone, thinking the same thing you did (“Did I forget that I planted this?”) and they developed huge puff-ball seed heads…now I am digging them all out and am glad to know that it’s a weed. Thank you! -Valarie in ND

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    June 2, 2008 at 5:05 am

    That orchid is very pretty, but it is strange to see it growing in the ground in an Indiana garden. I didn’t know there were such orchids.

    Reply
  12. Phillip Oliver says

    June 2, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    I think you will love the hardy orchid. A friend brought me a piece from New Orleans over ten years ago and it has multiplied and blooms every year. He has since passed so that plant always reminds me of him.

    Reply
  13. vertie says

    June 2, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    Unbelievably, I bought and planted that same orchid in my yard this year. I know it as Chinese ground orchid; it was growing well at Zilker Botanical Garden in the shade so I bought a few, very expensive ones. They should spread easily.

    I’m no help on your other flowers.

    Reply
  14. Carol Michel says

    June 2, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    Valerie… Good luck getting rid of those pretty weeds!

    Pam/Digging… I knew there were orchids hardy in Indiana, but this is first time I’ve seen some for sale at a garden center. I was excited to find them.

    Phillip, I hope mine make a nice clump, too. We shall see.

    Vertie, Surprisingly, these orchids were priced no higher than most of the other perennials.

    Thanks for the comments,
    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT