previous
  • Fragrant Plants for Pathways
    Fragrant Plants for Pathways
  • Lawn Alternatives
    Lawn Alternatives
  • 6 Tips for Weed Control
    6 Tips for Weed Control
  • Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
    Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
  • Pretty in Pink
    Pretty in Pink
  • Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
    Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
  • NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
    NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
  • Make a Succulent Topiary
    Make a Succulent Topiary
  • Save Money by Growing Your Own
    Save Money by Growing Your Own
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • Containers as Focal Points
    Containers as Focal Points
  • Dwarf Citrus Trees
    Dwarf Citrus Trees
  • In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
    In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
  • Homegrown / Homemade
    Homegrown / Homemade
  • Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
    Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
  • Plants that Spark!
    Plants that Spark!
  • Colorful Selections for Shade
    Colorful Selections for Shade
  • Mulch for a Healthy Garden
    Mulch for a Healthy Garden
  • Elephant's Ears
    Elephant's Ears
  • Designing with Curved Terraces
    Designing with Curved Terraces
  • Thoughts From a Foreign Field
    Thoughts From a Foreign Field
  • Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
    Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
  • Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
    Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
  • Stylish Shady Containers
    Stylish Shady Containers
  • Comfortable Alfresco Dining
    Comfortable Alfresco Dining
next
Find a plant:

OR Browse All Plants


Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford' (Ladies’ tresses)

Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford' Photo/Illustration: Bill Johnson


Be the first to rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford' spear-AN-theez SIR-new-ah Common Name: Ladies’ tresses Synonyms: S. cernua f. odorata 'Chadds Ford' Genus: Spiranthes
This deciduous, terrestrial orchid has linear, acute leaves 2 to 10 inches long. At summer's end, it produces sweet, vanilla-scented, 1- to 3-foot spires of white flowers that last for weeks and hold up well as cut flowers.
 Noteworthy characteristics: 'Chadds Ford' is a moisture-loving bog plant, but may grow in everything from dry shade to wet, sunny spots. Plants almost double in size every year; the tips of their roots curve upward and produce new plants, a characteristic unique to Spiranthes among orchids. 
 Care: Provide full sun in the north and protection from the midday sun in warmer climates. 'Chadds Ford' is easily cultivated in a damp or wet site with a very loose soil mix of sand, leaf compost, and peat. In Zones 4 to 7, plant in spring to give it a chance to become well established before winter. In Zones 8 and 9, either fall or spring works well for planting. After a frost in late fall, remove the flowering stems and seedpods to stimulate root and daughter-plant growth. Mulching with 1 to 2 inches of chopped leaves or pine needles around each plant is a good way to protect it from severe winters and encourage a quicker start in the spring.
 Propagation: Take divisions of tubers when dormant. This plant reproduces rapidly from underground shoots and from seed under very damp conditions.
 Problems: Susceptible to spider mites, thrips, and aphids.
Height 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Moderate
Characteristics Fragrant Flowers; Native; Showy Flowers
Bloom Time Fall
Flower Color White Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Cut Flower
Style Woodland Garden
Seasonal Interest Summer Interest, Fall Interest
Type Perennials

Plants you might also like

Phlox paniculata 'David' Phlox paniculata 'David'
(Border phlox, Summer phlox) (26 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This pure white phlox is valuable in the garden because of its abundant, fragrant flowers, its sturdy growth habit, and its resistance to powdery mildew. Growing to about 3 ½ feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, it blooms from early summer to early fall. It needs a consistently moist soil. Use it in a border or cottage garden. It will glow at dusk.
no image available Phlox maculata
(Meadow phlox, Wild sweet William) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This upright, herbaceous perennial has slender, hairy stems reaching 1.5 to 3 feet tall, with clusters of lavender-rose, lilac-pink, or white flowers. The stems often have burgundy spots on them. Blooms appear in early summer and midsummer.
Boltonia asteroides Boltonia asteroides
(False chamomile) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Boltonias are vigorous perennials grown for their sprays of aster-like flowers, which appear above clean, gray-green foliage. Their vigorous nature makes them suitable for naturalizing. They are also great in the border (and for cutting), but will benefit from frequent dividing to keep in bounds, and may be cut back in late spring for more compact plants.
Echinacea 'Sundown' Echinacea 'Sundown'
(Coneflower) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is one of the exceptional Big Sky™ series (E. paradoxa crossed with E. purpurea), bearing fragrant, russet-orange petals and reddish-brown central cones. These hybrids have all inherited the large green leaves, strong branching stems, wide flower petals, and profuse blooming tendencies of E. purpurea.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
(Stonecrop) (13 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This plant is as dependable and adaptable as they come. Its flowers bloom from August into November; they open pink and mature to a copper befitting of autumn. It is 2 feet tall and wide, with succulent stems and leaves. 'Autumn Joy' looks great with ornamental grasses.