Summer Vacation for Orchids

[dbarron]

So, I know that most every houseplant alive loves being outside for the summer. If you have the facilities to put them outside, who doesn't get to run and play in the fresh air with the other (or)kids?

I'm thinking that my newly accquired miltonias can enjoy a spring break till temps start hitting the 90s in a shady cool location. The oncidiums and tolumnias can be hung from trees to swing in the breezes (cough winds). The dendrobiums can sit on a concrete pad and bask in the north facing exposure.

I fear that my paphs would become slug lunch though..those succulent leaves that grow so slowly. Is that a valid concern? I wonder if squirrels will plague me? (Hope not...I moved to town and have too many of the rodents)

Ok, since I haven't any catts or phals, and don't have indoor room for monsters like vandas....that's it for me.

[Subrosa]

You're looking at it all wrong! I consider all plants to be outdoor plants, some of which need a winter's vacation indoors! As long as you're careful not to give the plants too much light too quickly it's a huge boost for the plants to move them outside. I've never had problems with any critters bigger than grasshoppers, but the front of my house isn't conducive to animal activities, and my backyard is protected by a state of the art area denial system. Other than birds, my Anatolian doesn't tolerate strange animals or people in his territory, so I've never had any squirrel problems even when there was a squirrel nest in a tree in my yard. Once the dog was on duty the squirrels accessed the nest by moving through the canopy. I never saw one on the ground, and last year they abandoned the nest.