Pleione Orchids:
Cultural Notes

These rare and delightful little orchids are a cold climate bulb native to the Himalayas, India, Thailand, Vietnam and China. They are found at altitudes between 900 and 3000 meters where they are usually found growing in composted well drained leaf litter.

In their natural environment they are well adapted to coping with severe cold, with protection from frost. They  are not an indoor plant and need to be grown outdoors in a cool shady environment such as a fernery.

The flower shoot emerges from the pseudo bulb in early spring, producing a startling orchid flower on a stems from 5 to 15cm in height.  As the flower begins to die ,the pleated spear -shaped foliage emerges and grows to about 20cm.

There are around 19 known wild Pleiones from which a modest group  of hybrids have been bred.

Bulbs are available in winter when they are dormant and should be planted as soon as they are received. They should be grown in a fine high quality well drained organic potting mix or fine bush mulch which has been heat treated.

They prefer to have a deep root run to accommodate their root system and  to prevent them drying out too fast in summer. The pot or container should be at least 12cm deep. A 3-4cm layer of course compost is beneficial for drainage then add about 4cm of fine bush mulch or organic potting mix and then a layer of  pelletised organic poultry manure such as Dynamic Lifter without any additives.

Finally fill the container almost to the top with another layer of bush Mulch or potting mix. Then place the bulb on top of the mix, leaving about one third of the bulb above 'soil' level.

The bulbs will flower from mid-September to October depending on the variety, followed by the foliage. Take care not to over-water them until the leaves are established. Once grown keep the mix moist but not wet.

Pleione orchids are gross feeders and may be given a soluble  fertilizer high in potash such as Phostrogen, about once every six weeks until the foliage dies down in late autumn. Do not apply on hot days and do not use granular fertilizer, it will burn holes in the bulbs and foliage.

As the Pleione is a Pseudo bulb the original bulbs will eventually die and be replaced with new bulbs and often bulbils that have grown from the top of the original bulb.

Re-potting should be carried out in winter before the bulbs commence their spring growth. When the new bulbs are removed from their containers every care must be taken not to damage the new growth buds.

The potting mix or mulch should be carefully shaken off the roots along with the removal of last year's  bulb which is now dead. Trim the roots with a pair of old scissors and plant as per the original planting instructions.

Please note these bulbs can only be sold during their dormant period  from the beginning of June to mid August.

This  Shangtung variety has soft mauve petals with a hint of yellow. The throat on the labellum is a creamy-yellow with blood red markings inside the lip. Very rare. Only a few to offer.  

Pleione Soufriere:
Deep mauve petals and outer  labellum . The inside of the "cheeks" of the inner labellum are a peachy pink  that extends out to the deeply frilled lip. The flower has deep blood red throat markings with a creamy mark on the bottom lip.
$50.00 each