Orlaya displays sweet white flowers on a wonderful green sparkly bursts throughout the white petals. It’s a soft and luxurious filler, adding tender touch and elegant appeal to all floral designs. The genus is Orlaya and the species is O. grandiflora - hailing from the Apiaceae family,

Orlaya is a half-hardy annual which means it likes cool temperatures, but will die if frozen. Simply plant them directly in loose well draining soil when the risk of frost is null. Being from the carrot family, Orlaya have a taproot, so handle the plugs with care - they don’t want to be root bound. Apply a light fertilizer after planting for best results - enjoying flowers from summer through first frost. For spring planting, plant just before last frost so their roots can establish well, or better yet - plan ahead with fall planting and let those roots overwinter for a powerful launch come spring. Fall planting of Orlaya also ensures the longest possible stems.

No netting is required when planting Orlaya plugs. Select a location to receive full sun and place them 6” apart, and water them in well. No pinching is required and one should see the white petals pop around 60 days from planting. Harvest when 80% of the flowers unveil themselves. If you wait too long, it’s likely to see the pollen shed and the life of the plant decrease. Orlaya will continue to open over 1 week in a vase of fresh cool water. Pests, except for commonly seen aphids or thrips, are rare when growing Orlaya, so it’s not much of a concern.

Orlaya are excellent candidates for succession planting. Their flowers are somewhat fleeting as most umbels are, so professionals often plant a handful of times in the Spring. Plan for 2 - 3 weeks in between planting actions for blooms all summer and into the properly cold frosty early winter days. Note that Orlaya are self-seeding and tend to travel. Be wise to harvest on time (at 80% inflorescence) to control this growth and spread.