Hardy Orchid Tree

I first met orchid trees on a Florida vacation when I was quite young, amazed at both the fascinating leaves and the unique flowers. At the time, I assumed the entire genus to be tropical. I was decades later, when I discovered that in fact there are a few Zone 7 winter hardy species. Our favorite of the bunch is the Argentinian Bauhinia forficata. In tropical rainforests where it’s native, it can reach 35′ in height, but here, where it dies to the ground in cold winters, our plant never exceed 8′ tall. We’ve now grown this amazing plant for nearly two decades. For us, flowering generally starts in mid summer and continues into fall. Hardiness is Zone 7b-9b. We currently have this in production and should have them available through Plant Delights Nursery in 2025.