Bletilla striata, known as a hardy orchid or Chinese ground orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, native to Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and China. This terrestrial orchid produces 1 ½-inch pinkish-purple flowers atop 18-inch sword-shaped leaves in the spring. It is best grown in medium moist well-drained soil with some afternoon shade. These dainty beauties will naturalize over time. The foliage dies to the ground over the winter. There are no serious insect or disease problems. Bletilla honors Luis Blet, a Spanish apothecary who had a botanical garden in Algeciras, Spain in the late 1700s.