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Anyone have experience with Habenaria radiata?

Indiana Gardener

Got Drosera?
Hi,

  I was wondering if Habenaria radiata requires anything special or is difficult outdoors in zone 5b? I have a bog wth some Sarracenia flava in it, would ol' Heb be happy there ya think?
Bye for now,
 
Those are beautiful plants and I hope to get one someday too. They like good drainage with lots of moisture. So a high point in a bog could work if they're planted in a freely draining material. I don't know whether they prefer acidic conditions, however. I'll look for reliable information and will post it (or a link) here later.
 
Thanks for the good link. That told just what I was wondering. Especially about the medium. Apparently all the places that sell it as "zone 5/6" material just want to make sales. I'd further believe someone who has grown it successfully, along with other orchids. I still think it would be fun to try even though it would take more care than I was planning on.
  Maybe if I baby the main plant I can do some hardiness tests with some offsets in time.
  Do you know of a reputable supplier of this? I could have laughed when that article said, "The Habenaria usually available from your garden centre..". Our garden centers here have nothing like that.
Thanks again.
Bye for now,
 
Thanks for the good link. That told just what I was wondering. Especially about the medium. Apparently all the places that sell it as "zone 5/6" material just want to make sales. I'd further believe someone who has grown it successfully, along with other orchids. I still think it would be fun to try even though it would take more care than I was planning on.
  Maybe if I baby the main plant I can do some hardiness tests with some offsets in time.
  Do you know of a reputable supplier of this? I could have laughed when that article said, "The Habenaria usually available from your garden centre..". Our garden centers here have nothing like that.
Thanks again.
Bye for now,
 
Here's a listing for them in the Van Bourgondien Spring 2003 catalog and here's a listing at Asiatica Nursery.  I've never order from either and haven't researched their info yet to see if either mentions its source.

A few years ago I emailed someone who had an ad selling them in Orchidmall or the old Pollinia.  The person reponded from Japan offering to send me ten corms for $20 or some similarly questionable price.  I asked about CITES & phytosanitary documents and the person replied that no questions are ever asked if they're sent to the US in an envelope.  So I said no thanks.

The price was way too low for someone to be propagating them and, assuming it wasn't a scam, the person must have been collecting them.  I wasn't as sensitive to this kind of thing back then and I now wish I had reported the situation to the appropriate authority in Japan.  They have a huge problem with Habenaria poaching over there and, as is typical with poaching, it's offensive how little money poachers are willing to accept for their plunder.
 
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