Plant ID: Epipactis sp.

Question:
Are there orchids that are native to growing in NY? I live in Buffalo and every summer have something growing in my yard that looks like an orchid. I will enclose a picture so maybe you can identify it.

Answer:
Actually there are a number of different kinds of terrestrial (meaning they grow in the ground) orchids that grow and can survive the winter here in the northeast. The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the largest families, if not the largest, of flowering plants (also called angiosperms) in the world and they can be found on most continents. Some are native to North America while others have been introduced and then naturalized themselves in the landscape.

The plant you are trying to identify is in the genus Epipactis, and may very well be Epipactis helleborine, commonly called a broadleaf helleborine. I am always hesitant to swear 100% certainty as proper botanical identification can be much more of an involved process, but I am confident that we have your plant appropriately identified to genus. Helleborines are native to Europe and Asia but were introduced to the U.S. so long ago that these days they can be found in wooded areas and landscapes from Kentucky to Quebec and as far west as California and Oregon. Fabulous picture by the way – thanks for sharing!

Echinacea purpurea and related cultivars

I was digging through my photos trying to help my coworker put together the graphics for our latest mailer at work and I rediscovered these great shots of Echinacea from Garden in the Woods and Nasami Farm, both operated by The New England Wild Flower Society. Thought I would share them for a nice little visual on this gray Thursday. Above is the straight species Echinacea purpurea, commonly called purple cone flower. Echinacea is a native perennial plant here in the northeast, hardy in USDA Zones 3-9, and can grow to 4-5' tall and 18-20" wide. It flowers mid-summer and the blossoms can often last well into September or early October. It does best in full sun, and once established is marginally drought tolerant. A rich soil heavy in organics will produce the most robust plants, but I have seen them adapt to less ideal conditions as well.
Then there are a lot of great new cultivars that growers are developing. Many still need to be tested for years to make sure they hold up as well as the original, in terms of size, durability, winter hardiness, etc. Above is an Echinacea called 'Sunrise' and below a beautiful reddish orange 'Sundown'.
If you are a member and/or are on the HSNY mailing list then you should have received the latest programming mailer, the graphic of which was derived from the photograph above. If you are not a member, please visit the HSNY website and sign up as an HSNY member today!

Plant ID: Hosta 'Sea Octopus'

A coworker and good friend recently came to me with this photograph that she took in the rock garden at the New York Botanical Garden just about two weeks ago. She was taken aback by the tall striking flower of this certain Hosta cultivar and asked me if I might be able to identify it. Luckily I am good friends with a number of curators and gardeners up at NYBG and I was able to track down an answer. Thanks to Jody Payne, curator of the Rock Garden and fellow alum of the School for Professional Horticulture, the Hosta in question was identified as a cultivar named 'Sea Octopus'. As she went on to add, there is also a little variegated variety that is really nice called 'Crested Surf' which has the same tall purple flowers. For information on where to buy this kind of Hosta, you can email me directly at the email above and I can supply you with that information.