Growing outside in summer

[Dulcinea]

I’m in Michigan and every summer I move my orchids out from their winter in the sun shed to the summer house.

The sun shed gets hot with the lights and window. I do keep fans running that give good air circulation and leave the door open when it’s hot.

I cover the summer house with shade cloth for about a week or so then take it off. The orchids are in a lightly-medium shaded area.

It’s now past time to get them out because it’s getting so hot in the sun shed BUT our weather calls for rain every day for the next five days. I could cover the top with a tarp but that wouldn't protect the sides.

What do those of you who grow outside all year or part of the year suggest?

[Roberta]

I'd suggest the tarp for overhead protection should do fine. A little rain that blows in from the side shouldn't get things overly soggy, and air movement is always desirable. My conditions are, of course, very different from yours but I think the same concepts apply now that low temperatures aren't an issue. (Could you send some of that rain this way? )

[Dulcinea]

I’d love to but we haven’t had any - yet! We had freezing temps at night through the beginning of last week. Now we’re in the mid to upper ‘80’s and humid. Michigan is usually lovely in the spring and fall. Summer too if you can Stand the heat and humidity. Winter 😒. Lake Michigan is 50 minutes away and it does both good and bad things to our weather!

Where do you garden Roberta? Someplace in California I think...

[Roberta]

I'm in coastal southern California. I am a "What can I get away with?" grower, it turns out that I can get away with a lot. Winter temps don't go much below 40F. (An occasional dip into the mid 30's but then days warm up into the 60s F) Turns out that there are lots of orchids that will put up with that amount of winter chill. (most Catts, most Oncidiums, some Vandas, pleurothallids of course, and the ubiquitous Cymbidiums) "Rain" comes out of a hose. So in looking at what what works in other places, the main difference is temperature... once nights get above about 55 deg F, those regional differences are not so important. Everybody can grow outside. But if you're still getting down to freezing, forget about the calendar, you still need to protect the plants.