The racemes of flowers emerge from the center of the years new growth before it is mature, during spring and early summer.

It is better to keep them in pots of well-drained media so that water does not sit around the roots during winter when the plants are not actively growing.

They should also be watered sparingly at the start of the growing season as the new shoots emerge, as new roots often do not follow for around four weeks afterwards.

[citation needed] The very flat knob-like tuberous root system is typically sympodial, expansive and each shoot is of annual duration only.

A well established clump of these in flower is quite beautiful and they are surprisingly hardy even into USDA Zone 5 with a heavy mulch.

These hardiness ratings only apply to plants in the ground with the idea of preventing the actual root system from being frozen.

They prefer well draining evenly moist soils that are high in organic material and that never dry out nor remain sodden.

Bletilla ochracea, a somewhat rare species from China has unusual flowers with yellow sepals and petals with a red-marked white lip and is becoming more available to collectors.