Pink Spathoglottis Orchid

Pink Spathoglottis Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata) is a ground orchid that behaves like a garden plant, which is why it turns up in so many tropical landscapes. Pleated green leaves form a clump around 60cm across, and pink to purple flower spikes push to about 70cm and keep coming almost year round in warm gardens. It goes into ordinary soil, in an ordinary bed, like any other perennial.

Why you'll love it

• An orchid that grows in the ground. No bark mix, no mounting, no special technique. It plants into a normal garden bed with compost and mulch.
• It flowers almost continuously. In tropical and subtropical gardens the spikes come in waves through most of the year, heaviest over the warm months.
• Made for shade and humidity. Dappled light under a palm or a tree is exactly where it performs, and that is a hard spot to fill with anything that flowers.
• It clumps up rather than dying out. Each plant thickens over a few seasons, so a bed can be divided instead of replaced.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for a full bed. Under palms or frangipani, a drift of forty or fifty plants gives colour where lawn will not grow.

Borders and edging. The same 40cm spacing along a shaded path gives a low band of pleated foliage with near constant flower spikes above it.

Pots and feature planting. A 300mm pot holds a single mature clump. Grouped in threes on a shaded patio it reads as a feature, and pots can move under cover through a cold snap.

Growing spathoglottis orchid in Australia

Position and climate. Partial shade: filtered light, or morning sun with afternoon protection. Full sun bleaches the leaves. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant, and it is frost tender, so anywhere that frosts it has to be a pot brought under cover for winter.

Soil. Free draining soil with plenty of organic matter, mulched to hold moisture. The pseudobulbs sit at the surface, so plant with the base of the bulb level with the soil, and keep mulch off the crown.

Water and feed. This is a high water plant, so keep the soil consistently moist through the warm months and ease off in cool weather. A light monthly liquid feed through spring and summer suits it best.

Pruning. Cut spent flower spikes back to the base once the last bud has opened, remove old yellowing leaves, and divide congested clumps every three or four years.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in two sizes: 140mm pots in packs of ten, and single 300mm pots. The 140mm plants are young divisions, and ten of them plant about 1.6 square metres at 40cm spacing. A 300mm plant is a mature clump, often already in spike, and the size to buy if you want one pot to look finished.

Orchid foliage bruises easily, so expect a marked leaf or two after transit. The 140mm pack moves in and out of backorder, so check the size selector before planning a large bed. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A practical guide to orchid care
• Other plants for partial shade
• Build the bed out with tropical garden plants
• Browse the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

Does it need special orchid mix?

No. This is a terrestrial orchid and it grows in ordinary garden soil improved with compost, or in a standard premium potting mix. Drainage matters, bark mix does not.

How cold can it take?

It is frost tender. Below about 5 degrees the leaves mark and growth stops, and a real frost will kill the foliage outright. In cool temperate gardens grow it in a pot and shift it under cover from late autumn.

Can I divide it?

Yes, every three or four years in early spring. Lift the clump, pull it apart so each division has two or three healthy pseudobulbs and some roots, then replant at the same depth.