Bamboo orchid

BOTANICAL NAME:  Arundina Graminifolia
COMMON NAME:  Bamboo orchid

DESCRIPTION:

An evergreen clump-forming shrub with tall, slender, bamboo-like stems clothed in narrow grass-like leaves.  They can grow up to 2 metres tall and a meter or more wide.  Clusters of colourful cattleya-like flowers up to 4cm in diameter are produced for months on end.  Pale mauvy-pink with a darker purple to maroon lip, the blooms are contrasting and striking.  Sweetly scented too.

GARDEN USES:

Bamboo orchids make great container plants, especially where narrow or slender specimens are required.  They are a good garden shrub that combines well with tropical plants and even succulents.  Needs to be seen as an individual specimen with no clutter or competing growth.

CULTURAL INFORMATION:

Grows in sun or light shade.  Best in well drained soil and even sandy growing conditions.  A sub-tropical  plant from the Orient that grows best in hot, humid climates.  Cold and frost sensitive.  Prune back old or scraggly stems to keep the shrub fresh and vigorous.  Feed every month with 3:1:6 water soluble fertiliser to encourage flowering.