Hardy OrchidsFragile and Tough Wildflowers of British ColumbiaIn complete contradiction of their fragile appearance, many native hardy orchids of Southern British Columbia thrive in poor dry soil in either the shade of Douglas fir or pine trees or in full sun on gravel screes.Others prefer the thickly mulched ground under deciduous trees and a much moister environment. Variable in their preferred growing conditions, there is an orchid for every niche just as for many other wildflowers. It’s hard to believe the delicate flowers of the pink Calypso bulbosum or fairy slipper orchid or the bronze and white Cypripedium montanum or mountain lady slipper orchid are as hardy as they are beautiful. 
Corallorhiza maculata, or Coralroot, is an orchid but is actually saprophytic; growing without leaves it has no ability to photosynthesize, and so obtains its nutrients from decaying organic material. See this page about the wild, beautiful orchid for some pictures of Corallorhiza striata, another form of Coralroot. The flowers of hardy orchids, once fully unfurled, remain in pristine condition for weeks, only finally withering and the foliage disappearing back into the soil for summer dormancy after being pollinated by insects. As with many other ephemerals, they are extremely sensitive to disturbance; if you’re lucky enough to have these gorgeous and rare flowers in your area try and discreetly mark their location so as not to accidentally dig them up.
Incredibly, as they are not successful dug up from the wild, or even garden grown, they have been grown extensively from tissue culture, and also from seed. The price reflects the difficulty in growing them, being around the $80 mark for a three to four year old nursery propagated plant. Finding a hardy orchid growing in its natural environment is a thrill, and re-visiting the site every year near bloom time can be an annual event. Make sure you photograph the fleeting beauty of these gorgeous flowers.
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Don’t pick the flowers either, as this will damage the bulb and probably kill the plant, and I don’t need to tell you that digging a hardy orchid to try and transplant it to your garden is a futile endeavor – they rarely survive as they have a symbiotic relationship with certain micorrhizae in the soil. Having said that, if you come across one in danger of being paved over do try and save it.
Xeriscaping - Landscaping with Less Water
Gardening with a Light Hand on the Land
The focus is on landscaping with easy care drought tolerant plants like Sedum, Sempervivum and thyme and using natural materials to build rock retaining walls and it's easy to see why.
It used to be that once in a while these kinds of plants would come to the fore, and successfully maneuver dry summers, but now it's obvious that these are the most suited to what is becoming the norm.
Interested in learning how to build a patio? See this page for patio design ideas.
Seeing how beautiful these unique landscapes are and how well they perform in challenging conditions will encourage others to find unique plants to use in their own xeric garden.
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