Description
Creeping lady’s tresses (Goodyera repens) are perennial plants and are fully hardy in the UK, though plants in small pots may be vulnerable to low winter temperatures. They are suitable for poor, damp, acidic or neutral soils particularly sandy soils with a thick layer of pine needles. They like a moist shady spot with little competition from other plants. Few people will have these conditions available so creating the right soil in a large pot is a good option. They prefer semi-shade and beware of them overheating or drying out.
The rosette of leaves is evergreen. this is the only evergreen UK orchid. It flowers in July and August and sets seed in August to September.
Use a well drained growing mix of 1 part peat free potting compost, 1 part perlite, 1 part horticultural sand, 2 parts pine needle rich humus.
Vegetative reproduction is easy. The rhizome tips grow into runners in autumn and produce small plants at the end. Plants can be teased apart after a year and planted separately. A rosette which flowers then dies off leaving several satellite plants to grow on.
