Winter hardy orchids?

[Kittyfrex]

Title might sound a little misleading, but i had no other ideas.
The climate i live in is...odd. Altrough there is a distinct winter, the only thing that ever makes it frigid is a strong northen wind that normally blows from late autumn to late spring. Except it hasn't. The last 8 years i have been living here, and a few when i lived across the small seaway, the climate had shifted not as much to warmer as to...more even? That particualr wind had been absent last two years and while temps didn't pass 20 C, it was more than enjoyable. I had a bunch of normally tropical plants outside, under an overhand that stopped rain but still in 6+h of full sun, includng, but not limited to, C. arabica, M. deliciosa, Golden photos, F. Benjamina. My banana plant is loving it parhaps too mcuh; i'll have to repot it this year even tho the pot weighs twice as much as me; she is going into the ground.

My dendrobium nobile had been growing outside for the last two years, and would be a damn huge plant if not for snails that seem to love him in the winter. And according to all I've read, Cymbidiums don't mind dipping just under 4°c if dry. I've put mine out too late, so no blooms i guess, but it immediatly started growing and much faster than while it was on a window inside.
Are there any other hardier orchids? They don't need to tolerate snow or frost, just ocossional drops in temperature (lowest we had was a -1 one night, but the water never actually froze outside; the next lowest was 5). I've read that Brassia rex would fit the bill, but the post was old and i haven't stumbled upon anything else elsewhere.

I am sorry for all of the confusion i caused.

[Roberta]

First, no apologies needed! Please ask questions, we LOVE to talk orchids!

Most Cymbidiums are fine with cold - even down to near zero if acclimated. I think you can just grow those outside all year around. If you went to see just how tough those are, check out this website, from a southern California grower: Ice

Laelia anceps will also tolerate near-frost. Where I live, winter temperatures are just a little bit more temperate than yours (but each winter there are a few nights that go below 4 deg C) Days do get warmer (18-20) but that's not exactly tropical... My website (link in my signature) shows what I grow, and the Index of Plants indicates what grows outside for me, in a climate I think is quite similar to yours. (Another Mediterranean climate area!)

The ones growing outside live there all the time, so as the days and nights cool off in the fall, they adjust gradually. That is very important - they can tolerate a lot if change is not sudden.

Brassia rex grows for me but doesn't bloom. However, Brassia verrucosa (one of its parents) grows and blooms very well for me. Also some of the related South American species in the genus Ada (which are now also Brassia) do quite well. So there are many to choose from.

[alecStewart1]

Pure Dendrobium moniliforme can handle frost pretty well so long as they're kept dry.

After that, some Neofinetia falcata varieties can handle cold fairly well if also kept dry, but they're not as tolerant of frost as Dendrobium moniliforme are.

There might be some terrestrial orchids that can handle frost.

If you look at where you are in Croatia and go in a direct line over to Asia on a map, maybe you can see what grows where there and determine what you could grow, making sure to check elevation as well. That's a bit more complicated than just asking people here, though.

[Roberta]

alecStewart1, there's a lot more to climate than latitude (or even elevation) alone. The area around the Mediterranean has a very distinct climate (there are only 4 other parts of the world with similar characteristics - the Cape area of South Africa, southern and western Australia, the central coast of Chile, and coastal California, USA from around the Mexican border to San Francisco.) From the OP's descriptions, his climate fits enough of the parameters to make that weather pattern around the world a good guide to consider. And there are LOTS of orchids that can thrive in it.

[alecStewart1]

Originally Posted by Roberta

alecStewart1, there's a lot more to climate than latitude (or even elevation) alone. The area around the Mediterranean has a very distinct climate (there are only 4 other parts of the world with similar characteristics - the Cape area of South Africa, southern and western Australia, the central coast of Chile, and coastal California, USA from around the Mexican border to San Francisco.) From the OP's descriptions, his climate fits enough of the parameters to make that weather pattern around the world a good guide to consider. And there are LOTS of orchids that can thrive in it.

No definitely. I don't actually know why I said all of that now.

[Kittyfrex]

First of all, ya'll wonderfull.

@Roberta I haven't traveled trough rest of the Mediterranean so i can't talk much of it in general besides the specific microclimate i live in that had changed a great deal in the last 20 or so years i actually paid attention to it. There's less of northern winds and far more comming from the south; that means rain here. And humidity. Summers used to be bone dry with humid spells but no rain for 4+ months minimum; most rainfall occured between December and late April/early May. With the global increase in temperature one would of tought it would only get worse, but it didn't, and i suppose that increased yearly rainfall tempered the summer; until about 5 years ago, each summer had at least 3 days of 40°c or above that have been absent.
In a way, i am trying to get a bit ahead of it, since the change is far less gradual than anyone truly expected (my tortoises are comming out of hibernation two and half months ahead of time; native speacies). Some things like azelea, most kinds of tulips and any speacies that needs a significant cooldown for normal function had suffered in the region, dying of in bundless except in some pockets of terrain that "attract" colder air (spaces between hills or shaded during winter.) Some 6-7 years ago, keeping cymbidium outside would probably destroy it (just by a margin, but still).

As for the rest, i will most certainly look them up all one at a time. I also do have a small un-heated greenhouse for sheltering plants. I's equipped with some fans for circulation as well as to blow the warmer air downwards
from a slanted roof; during winter, there is a 2h window where the sunlight is blocked somewhat by a wall. It's always cozy in there (night temps can drop bellow 10 but it's not that common as it receives most of daylight sun and is protected from any wind). If there's anything that needs protection during the rare drop, i do have means to provide it, as i have succesfully bloomed a rescued Coffea arabica inside.

Alas, thanks so much for all the tips.

p.s. i forgot to mention if it makes any difference, but strelitzia and F. elastica do just fine outside, provided they are protected from wind, and not just for me. Adam as well (forgive me if it's bad terminology, i just couldn't find for the love of life what exact species it belonged to; Alocasia or some sister branch.) Even the citruses begun changing pattern to a less seasional; last year i picked fruit from my lemon from may till novemeber (normal season for it). And it is not one of those that produces year round.

[Roberta]

Be bold! The big limiting factor for outdoor growing is winter frost. And even a few hours of 0 deg C won't hurt most of those cool-tolerant orchids. For summer heat, just shade, air movement, and maybe some mid-day water. Summer rain is a bonus. It only would be a problem if you are growing the native terrestrial orchids that expect a dry summer.

[Kittyfrex]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Be bold! The big limiting factor for outdoor growing is winter frost. And even a few hours of 0 deg C won't hurt most of those cool-tolerant orchids. For summer heat, just shade, air movement, and maybe some mid-day water. Summer rain is a bonus. It only would be a problem if you are growing the native terrestrial orchids that expect a dry summer.

Yeah, experimentation is my spirit guide. I just don't want to ruin some who have no chance by trying on a pure luck, as getting things shipped to Croatia ain't cheap (and our postal services are horrid; rough and delayed).
The summer.. Well, i mean, i did sunburn some phals 4 years ago while i was a pure novice, but haven't had sun damage since then on any of my plants.

As for natives, i would never grow them since i found it absolutley impossible to buy captive grown individuals, and none are common enough where i wouldn't mind collecting a single plant. Don't get me wrong, they are pretty and i love some (such as the bee mimics), but i'd rather not destroy a dwindling population (reffered to locality, not global population).

[Roberta]

Oh, absolutely don't take natives from the wild, you are soooo right. It is sad that there is not a nursery propagating them from seed. I get mine from myorchids.de in Germany - he does grow from seed, and does all the CITES paperwork, I have a friend with an import permit. All legal, sustainable. A very tedious process that does cost a bit, but I am assured that it's all legal. (I get Australian terrestrials from him too, also grown from seed, so that their seasons are northern hemisphere)

[Kittyfrex]

I do take some plans from the wild, but not orchids, and only if i can seperate the plant, ie taking only one or two bulbs or a cutting of something. Considering they are native, further propagating them isn't necessarily negative, especially since my gardens are in town, as in a place where they grew once upon a time. Last i checked, we have no orchid species that can be collected without removing the whole plant, and they do not grow in groups. Even if multiplying them would give a tiny boost to the ecosystem, i didn't manage to sprout the seeds when i tried, and they need to be moved; you can't ust take a leaf or a branch (at least none of the leaves that i attempted worked).
I have contributed to some minor rewilding project that happened localy, and i will definitly seek guidince when my Hermann's tortoises start to breed, as any genetic diversity would greatly benefit the wild population. Mentioning these just so no one think i am actually considering collecting wild orchids or any other kind of rare or endagered plant (except for cyclameas; tho considered endagered, they are super plentiful here and a few tubers seeded into several dozen plants over the last few years.)